I loved the representation of queer identity and romance in the book. I loved that Gemma had a solid group of friends and her growth throughout the book. I also enjoyed the mention of therapy and the use of therapy. I loved how flawed both Gemma and Celester were as characters. It felt really authentic and gave it such a realistic feel that you might not see in a lot of romance novels. I truly felt like both of these characters were people I could know or encounter in my every day life.

However, I had a hard time getting into Celeste's chapters because of the consistent use of her name rather than her pronouns similar to how Gemma's chapters were written. It was strange to me that Gemma's chapters were written in a first person POV while Celeste's were in third person POV. It was quite jarring and took me out of the story a lot.

Still, I think both Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho did a great job in honing these characters and bring them to life.

I had very high hopes for this book but unfortunately, I was left wanting more. The story and the love seemed very surface level as well as the concept. I was just hoping for it to be more swoony! I just think it would've worked more if the book was longer. I am happy I listened to the audiobook because I think the narrators really saved this one for me. 3 stars.

Yes, Sapphic Second-Chance Romance! I really enjoyed this one. Gemma's whole life has been blown up by a cancelled engagement and now she has to write about love with her college ex who ghosted her. Celeste thinks she is incapable of love, even when she's working with the one-who-got-away, Gemma. I thought the writing about the experience of queer people in Korea as well the challenges for young queer Asians not having elders to look up to really moving. This is also a book where I appreciated the 3rd act breakup and how these two reconnected. Drink this book: Grab a chardonnay from as close to the bay as you can - Contra Costa Country is a great option!

This was not my jam. I did not finish because it had gotten to annoying and too whiney. In my book. I thoughti would truly like it but it just was not too my liking.

3.75 ⭐ for the audiobook 👂

I've been wanting to read a sapphic romance for a while and this story, this audiobook did not disappoint!

This was a beautiful story of heart break, putting oneself back together, friendship, growing, maturing... of the universe offering you a new chance at love with your college girlfriend.

The characters had a nice growth but lacked a bit of depth.
Celeste's character wasn't developed enough. She could have been more and felt a little bit flat. Maybe the voice and slight nonchalance of the narrator for her chapters didn't help with that.

It was a nice romcom 💖
Not one that will wreck you emotionally.

The narrators were great too –I preferred the one narrating Gemma's chapters.


<b>Plot</b>: Gemma just got dumped by her fiancé. The 7 year relationship ending with no explanation.
So Gemma moves in with her best friends and colleagues, and their cat.
As a relationship advice columnist, she is tasked by her boss to do interviews of couples for their next big story for Valentine's... a story for both print and website with a photographer.
Gemma's ex, Celeste, is a photographer.... Her first girlfriend that left without a word or explanation is a photographer. Celeste is the photographer hired for this project. What will happen between them? Will they make it work and stay cordial?


<b>Tropes:</b> second chance, sapphic romance, workplace, growth, forced proximity.
<b>Spice:</b> a couple of open door spicy scenes 🔥


Grateful for the audiobook ARC and this lovely story.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved both of the FMC's. I'm loving Lyla Lee and her K-drama reads. I love that neither of these girls are perfect, but then who is. I love that this book was a sapphic second change romance from college exes who end up working together 8 years later. This book has got some great bisexual representation, and these Korean characters brought up a decent number of conversations about the lack of queer Asian elders, because its often kept quiet. I really enjoy that Lyla Lee brings up cultural things like this as well as tattoos in the Asian culture showing the difference in culture. I know I've read books from her before that were YA, this one is defiantly an adult romance as it's got some good spicy scenes in it. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more from this author.

My favorite quote was definitely: "The beauty of being bi, I learned, is that you can get rejected by both women and men."

Both narrators Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho did a good job. Even though I felt that there was a noticeable difference in less chapters from Celeste's POV, I feel that both of the narrators did such a good job.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 50%. Cannot handle the switch of first to third person POV - that’s so weird and doesn’t make any sense and could not care less about the romance.

3.5 stars for the audiobook!

I really enjoyed this second chance sapphic romance! There were so many elements about this book that I enjoyed. I loved that they were reunited years later through the forced proximity of having to work together. The tension was great. While I do think the physical chemistry picked up a little quickly for characters who hadn't seen each other in some time it was nice to see how passionate and attracted they still were to each other. From there the story slowed do a little bit which I appreciated. These leads had to learn how grow from their past and how to connect in an emotional way in their current state. I loved being able to see how the character's grew throughout the story. Their emotional growth was a bit slow which I felt like was more realistic given the circumstances

The audiobook was good! I love when a book with dual POV has narrators for each POV. I think they both did a great job bringing these characters to life. The pining and yearning I could hear in their voices and the spicy scenes were so good. The only minor issue I had with the audio was that the narrators spoke in quite a different pace. Natalie's POV was a bit slower and I would have to speed up the audiobook speed but when it was Gemma's POV it was too fast and I'd have to slow it back down. However, I still enjoyed the audio and their voices overall!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Lyla Lee for providing me with an audio ARC!!

I really enjoyed Love in Focus. It was sweet and spicy and spoke to multiple experiences - those who have always known who they are, those who are still figuring it out, those who have figured it out but are still in a space of learning.

Community was a theme, both obvious and subtle, and was discussed and demonstrated in different ways. Some characters had friends who were supportive and family who were most definitely not while others had friends and family that were supportive.

The whole <spoiler>fiancé cheating before he broke up with her was not necessarily something I felt was necessary. However, I did get that sense when the new girlfriend was introduced that that relationship had been developed prior to the breakup, so I appreciate that the through line for that was maintained and my own suspicions were confirmed. </spoiler>

From the audio perspective, I appreciated the use of multiple narrators and thought the choice of switching from 1st person (Gemma) to 3rd person (Celeste) was interesting. It was different but also provided a sense of emotional distance that I think was important in the characterization.

A solid, second-chance, sapphic romance with a well-balanced plot and spice. Lyla Lee shined through the tension between Celeste and Gemma and was able to create an atmosphere of love and re-kindling. Plus she had some very SPICY scenes that I thought were well-done. An absolute must for anyone interested in sapphic/queer romances!

I adored this book. I do not know how to explain how delightful the second chance romance was. The found family was perfection for the main character. And, I simply kept reaching for this audiobook to find out what happens next. AMAZING! (Also really loved the setting!!!)

I expected to fall for the romance in 'Love in Focus'—but instead, I eventually found myself rooting for solo Gemma.

The story starts with an engaging premise and a strong lead in Gemma, whose voice (both in writing and narration) brought warmth and relatability to the story. I genuinely connected with her character and enjoyed her arc. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with Celeste in terms of her character development, actions, and unpleasant vocal portrayal. This disconnect made the rekindled romance feel frustrating rather than swoon-worthy.

The narrative also felt uneven at times, with pacing and emotional beats that didn’t always land smoothly for me. While there were moments of charm and insight, the overall journey was bumpy and disconnected. This was not a book that I couldn’t put down. I actually stopped listening several times to read other things but powered through in the end.

Still, I appreciate the themes 'Love in Focus' set out to explore—especially the complexities of second chances and modern love—and I applaud Lee’s commitment to diverse storytelling.

Thank you to Lyla Lee and NetGalley for providing the audiobook for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the chance to listen to this ALC, all opinions in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed Lyla Lee’s YA books so I was looking forward to reading her adult romance debut. Unfortunately this book just never really clicked for me and fell a bit flat.

The book started off well and I really liked Gemma and I think if the book had just been from her POV I might have actually enjoyed it. Celeste’s first chapter (literally just a couple pages) starts off some weirdly biphobic comments (which also felt insulting to lesbians too) and I just never really cared about her character or felt like her POV added anything to the story. It’s hard to enjoy a romance when you aren’t actually shipping the characters.

I loved Gemma’s friends though (wish I could have just read about them) and the interviews were sweet but it wasn’t enough to really save the book.

Audiobook review: Natalie Naudus was amazing as always, I kinda wish she had just done both Gemma and Celeste. Catherine Ho’s narration wasn’t bad but Celeste’s chapters were so short that it felt jarring to switch over to her voice for so little time and the narration didn’t really seem to fit Celeste. I think this just added to my frustrations and feelings of dislike of the character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the e-ARC and ALC of this book.

It was ok. I loved the premise, I LOVE second chance romance, and it was pretty cute. It just could have been MORE. I spent the first 50% trying to decide if I wanted to DNF because it lacked the tension that forced proximity and being exes should have caused.

The Audio was great and well done and the only reason I think I was able to finish this one. I did find myself invested around 80% but that's a long time to spend reading wondering why you're still reading.

2.5 stars rounded up.

4.5
I truly enjoyed this book. As the book started I thought it would be a bit of a "basic" second chance romance but as the story progressed I felt drawn in to the characters. The pace was great and I loved the way the author used other couples/love stories to build up the story.

I listened to the audiobook. The voice actors were great! I did have to speed the book up significantly more than I have with other books and I noticed that the two voice actors were reading at differnet paces.

"Love in Focus" is one of the biggest gut punches I have had in a long time, even though I often say that. I'm certain, however, that this one has been the most brutal gut punch of 2025 yet.

The story tracks the reunion of two unlikely former lovers, Gemma and Celeste. Gemma is a writer who has maintained her stay on the West Coast after attending college. She was engaged to be married, but that all fell apart, and her former fiancé immediately took up with someone new. At the worst possible time, Celeste was assigned to be the photographer accompanying Gemma's piece. The two had not seen each other in almost ten years since Celeste abruptly left college to return home. Gemma never really bounced back after their breakup. Celeste didn't address ending the relationship at all; she just disappeared.

As they navigate working together after being estranged for so long and without closure, sparks fly again. However, Celeste has adamantly made it known that she isn't a relationship person, and Gemma isn't sure she can be just friends with Celeste.

This story resonated with me deeply, as it is so relatable. As a person who has gone through a second chance, and the story is more like a third chance, it puts you on pins and needles, hoping that they will clear everything up and be able to move on. The way that Kayla Lee told the story, where we could hear the thoughts of both Gemma and Celeste, and yearning for them to make it work, was absolutely fantastic. As we go through the third act breakup, which gets too much negative focus, we witness tremendous growth and maturity in the decisions made. It made my heart burst for these two fictional characters in ways I cannot explain. It had me relive those tender moments in my own life when I walked the tightrope, unsure if the relationship would make it.

Beyond the emotionally heavy stuff that this author presented to us in a much lighter way than I have described here, she also added a kind of spice that I can only describe as being tender. Even though these two were lovers in college, there was still room for some “firsts.” And those firsts were handled with tact and tenderness.

This audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho. Naudus, of course, knocked this out of the ballpark. She did a beautiful job portraying Gemma, allowing us to experience the pain, frustration, and confusion that this young woman was going through. The character that Lee wrote that goes through such substantial maturity, Naudus truly embodies and projects for the listener to not only hear but also feel and experience.

I wish I could say the same for Catherine Ho. First off, there is a MASSIVE difference between the stylings of Naudus and Ho. It’s not just voices, it’s HOW they do their craft. Naudus EMBODIES her characters like so many of my favorites (Angela Dawe, Anastasia Watley, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Lori Prince, Jenn Lee, Andi Arndt, Jakobi Diem, just to name a few). Ho does not narrate that way. She READS. She does NOT perform. Ho would be great for nonfiction stories but NOT fiction.

Only because of this gorgeous story and Naudus’s exquisite performance was I able to move past Ho’s voicings.

Not only is this a beautiful sapphic love story about a variety of topics, but it also includes the experience many of us don't have, which is having to deal with one’s sexuality, where not only a family may shun you, but an entire community or culture might frown upon you. I especially loved the character of Celeste, who is stronger beyond her years, dealing with things one shouldn't have to at her age, let alone the added pressure of trying to live life as one's true self in a society where that is not applauded.

I cannot recommend this story enough. Despite my age, I still love young adult and new adult stories because if we're not constantly growing and changing to experience life, we might as well be dead. I value the opportunities to listen to stories and experience lives beyond my little bubble of the world. I am grateful that we have authors and narrators who create these spaces for us to explore. This is a story I will revisit in the future.

I received an advanced listening copy of the audiobook from the publisher through Netgalley and am leaving a voluntary review. 

Their love story was just so sweet! It felt like such a cosy easy read with a lovely storyline! But also the tension in this book is thick! It also had such will they, won’t they vibes that worked so well for them!

The representation in this book is just beautiful with Botha lesbian fmc and a bisexual fmc as well as there being a focus on the culture in South Korea and the struggles of being queer in a country that doesn’t have gay rights.

I absolutely love seeing the friendships with side characters in books so I really enjoyed the friendship that Gemma had with Val and Kira as well as the relationship that they had too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the review audiobook of this book! Our main character Gemma is a newly single bisexual woman living in San Francisco. She is is assigned an exciting new project at work, but she has to collaborate with a photographer, her college ex girlfriend Celeste, who left one day and never explained why. Most of the chapters are first person POV from Gemma's perspective but we get a few chapters in third person POV from Celeste.
Love is Focus was such a wonderful read, I couldn't put it down! A sapphic second chance romance, uh yeah sign me up immediately. I think one of the strongest aspects of this book was Gemma's friendship with Kiara and Val. The way they are there for her when she is going through this break up but they can still joke around with her felt so refreshing. I find that sometimes side characters and friends feel so flat in romances but this was a pleasant surprise. I also loved the diversity of all of the characters thought the story, including the couples being interviewed for the Love in Focus news story. The chemistry in the spicy scenes was really great and they all felt distinct and not repetitive.
I wish we got more of Celeste's point of view to round out their relationship, especially since some of the conversations between the two of them when discussing the past and their feelings for each other now fell a little flat for me. But overall I had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend!

📚Love in Focus📚
Arc review
Rating 3.5🌟
Release date: 27th May 2025
I was so happy to be accepted to read this book before it came out
I've never heard anything audio books, so it was kinda different, but nice to try.
I liked Celestes & Gemmas' relationship, but while I was listening, i kinda picked up on Celestes pov was in 3rd person, but gemmes was 1st person it made it different I wanted more of celestes' povs as they where only short aswell.
I absolutely loved Gemma, Kiara, and Vals' friendship as they were all so supportive with each other ❤️
Still enjoyed it, and I want to check out some more of this author books 😊

The narrator did a wonderful job, once again!
It felt as if I was a part of the story and I truly love that feeling!
I don’t read sapphic romances that often but did enjoy this one. The self discovery journey of Gemma was wonderful and I loved following it with her.
They had the TENSION and the history which I always love. gimme all the tension pls.
I have to add that it didn’t feel like they’re nearly 30- in their late twenties- at some points they felt way younger with how they behaved.
I still enjoyed it bc it was super cute and had an interesting story story line, with wonderful 🌶️🌶️🌶️ scenes (heheheh)