3.5 stars rounded up

I have some mixed feelings about this one

I loved a lot in this book. I loved Gemma as a character and I enjoyed her journey of finding herself and learning to be happy with herself throughout the course of this book. I also loved her chemistry with Celeste. Their romance was wonderful and the spice was some of my favorite I've ever read.

Now this is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes, but in this instance I didn't love it. I felt confused about why Gemma and Celeste didn't work out the first time around and why they broke up. It was basically a big miscommunication which I didn't love. I feel like Celeste was really bad at communication and by the end of the book she was frustrating me. I also don't mind a third act conflict, but again in true Celeste fashion it was basically just a big miscommunication.

The biggest negative was the way the dual POV was done. Gemma's chapters were written in first person POV and Celeste's chapters were written in third person POV. It made me very frustrated and I honestly don't understand why the author would make that choice. It was jarring to read and pulled me out of the story at each POV change. This one thing had me knock an entire star off this rating because it was not enjoyable for me at all.

I did like this book overall and I would recommend it, but just be prepared for miscommunication and the weird 1st/3rd person POV shifts

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and the advanced listener copy! I love tandem reading and this was a great audiobook done in dual narration that I enjoyed.

Being a 29 year old woman from Orange County that moved the Bay Area, the beginning freaked me out because why are you copying me? All jokes aside, I really enjoyed this book.

Getting to follow Gemma through phases of grief after her relationship falls apart was hard, but inspiring. Did she start to jump into something before she was ready to? Absolutely, but I think running into Celeste (her ex gf) really opened her eyes. Gemma spent seven years trying to make herself fit into a box for a man that ultimately left her. That is so much to unpack, but she did it and she came out stronger in the end.

Celeste didn’t have as many chapters, but her inner monologue was a lot of reminiscing about Gemma and how she moved to LA to get away from the shame her family placed on her for sexual orientation.

The fact that Gemma and Celeste did not immediately stay in a forever kind of thing was so healthy. I was proud of Gemma for taking that year to just be single and focus on being her true self for a while. I think that will ultimately help create a stronger base for their relationship in the long run.

I really enjoyed all of the representation in this book. When Celeste got to see people that looked like her getting to live long happy lives, I very much cried at the hope that gave her. I also liked that there were so many queer characters in the book because it allowed for Gemma to really grow into herself and get that support everyone deserves.

I did listen to the audiobook, and I want to say that the narrator for Gemma is one of my favorites. Celeste’s chapters were a little slower, but there weren’t very many chapters for me to get used to the changes in talking speed.

All in all I had a really great time with this book.

Loved this. It was a cute queer romcom, exploring forgiveness and how family dynamics shape us. Focusing on queer dynamics and portraying Bi sexuality while holding both straight presenting and same sex relationships is the perfect representation for a book like this. I loved the way Gemma moved through the world making her feel like a real person.

I was attracted to this book because I heard rumors of it being an upcoming Illumicrate Afterlight pick. It's hard to explain it, but this is exactly the kind of book I could see in that subscription. It was cute, queer, and attempted to poke at the feels. It has a cast of chosen family/friendships and touched on the hardships of growing up queer in a Korean family.

The book was cute but I wanted more depth in the story. Overall, I would rate this a 3.5 rounded down.

This was my first book from this author and my first sapphic romance. I thought it was mostly a well written story and book, but there were issues throughout.

I felt the reason for the characters initial breakup and subsequent animosity was a bit off, one character completely abandoned the other and ghosted her and then when she came back and realised that she has moved on to another relationship quickly she felt very betrayed. This seemed a bit odd to me. Then meeting up in the future via work was predictable but was well written and it was clear they had good chemistry. I liked the side characters as well and thought the pacing of the book was good.

I did not like the different tenses used throughout. This was a really weird choice. When you were in Celeste’s POV it was written in third person which made you feel quite detached from her and most of your sympathy was with Gemma. Also the flow of the book and the pace was disturbed by the tense change.

Overall, this was an easy enjoyable read and I will read other books by this author. The audio book was very good and the narrator for Gemma did a great job.

I received an ARC via Netgalley from Hachette audio for an honest review of this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc! This was a cute sapphic romance book with an Asian lesbian couple. A sweet read with a good amount of banter, given the length of the book. I listened to the audiobook at 1.75x speed and that felt appropriate. The book isn’t particularly memorable or life-changing but I enjoyed reading it.

Oh this was a perfect pallet cleanser between horror books!
So sweet and heartfelt and a perfect ode to the one that got away. I think sapphics can all relate to that special place your first girlfriend holds in your heart not to mention the pressure of comp het from younger years.

I truly loved the infusion of Korean culture through out and the added layer it gave what someone us would feel as a familiar story.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the Audio book and the two narrators did such a great job at bringing the characters to life.

If you want a cute heartfelt sapphic love story this is one to pick up

I adored the narrators for this book! I think they perfectly played each character, even when it was the role reversals! Now for the content!
I will begin with the lighthearted. Ad someone who grew up in the Bay and misses it dearly, hearing “hella” in Gemma’s slang was so kitsch and a cute little nugget for me! Along with sharing slang with Gemma, I also grew up in a partly Asian household where I was worried and felt like I had to hide my bisexuality. Seeing her grow and finally feel comfortable enough in her sexuality to eventually own up to it (off-screen) with her family was amazing and even a bit cathartic for me. When Celeste and Gemma discussed never seeing any queer inspiration from our communities while growing up, I felt it from my soul and absolutely agree. As a “model minority”, it’s like we still have so much to hide when we’re not cut from the same mold people expect from us. The author really encompassed a lot of the lgbtqia+ struggles/triumphs and made it normal yet fully individual at the same time, all within the pages of their sweet romance while never making it feel preachy or laggy. The side characters were also amazing, found family has always been a trope close to my heart, even when the characters have a decent relationship with their blood relatives. While I hated the separation between the two, I also could see why it was necessary and helpful at times for their own growth. This was a great ( and steamy 🥵) read/listen and fully recommend it, with a 4.75 out of 5!

thank you hachette audio for this audiobook arc! while i liked the idea of this book and it’s various representations, the writing itself did not connect with me. this was adult romance but i could still feel the ya undertones. big fan of second chances but this felt too on the nose. it was okay, but wouldn’t recommend. i have enjoyed lyla’s work before so i’m excited for what’s next with one under her belt!

production/narration was fine. i found gemma’s voice to be more fitting than celeste’s - might be due to the more whisper in her voice. side characters were fine.

this might be more of a physical read than audio but as an avid audiobook reader i stand with my review.

When interviewing couples in love is it possible to not obsess over your own feelings? Of course not. This second chance sapphic romance is roommates-to-lovers, then estranged-exes-to-colleagues, colleagues-to-FWB, FWB to-what’s-next?

The chemistry between Gemma and Celeste is heard in the narration and the story itself. Communication was a problem at the end of their college days, 8 years later they know how to communicate, but they have to figure out how to trust.

As an avid audiobook listener I was surprised by the long pauses between chapters, but enjoyed all other aspects of the narration and production. As a sucker for sapphic romances and found families, I wish we had seen more of Celeste’s chosen family.

I enjoyed the hopeless romantic aspects of this book. This was my first sapphic novel and I wasn’t disappointed. All the characters are well written and the storyline pulls you in and gives you all the feels of watching a romance movie on a Saturday afternoon. While the FMC was fun, I very much enjoyed the side relationship of Kiara and Val, they are a great set of friends to Gemma and the character of Kiara has such cinnamon roll vibes and I was drawn to her, always smiling when I came upon her parts in this Rom-com.
The overall topic of LOVE that echos throughout the book is quite heartwarming, you get a look into various relationships from various walks of life and all so sweet and so relatable. There are many lessons to take with you “Accept each other unconditionally”, and “…sticking together through thick and thin” and “”love is Sara, no one and nothing else”. All such great bits from the random relationships.
Celeste and Gemma have a genuinely realistic relationship with ups, downs, separation and uncertainty, but don’t all romance novels have those?
“One romance novel moment at a time”
Don’t force it, take your time and you can also have your Celeste/Gemma moment.

Yes to subverting the lesbian uhaul trope!

I love that the author allowed these characters to take time and heal before jumping back into a relationship, and I appreciate their dedication to their careers.

This was a really refreshing read, and I'm looking forward to what Lyla Lee does next!

Big thanks the NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audiobook copy!

This was such a cute romance novel! I absolutely enjoyed this, I devoured it from start to finish. I really liked seeing Celeste and Gemma explore their feelings and get their second chance.

We meet Gemma right after she has been broken up with by her fiance with no real reason given. She spent the last seven years with him and isn't sure what to do next. At least she still has work and a great project to work on, she stoked for it! However, when she comes face to face with her ex Celeste, the talented videographer/photographer attached to the project, she has to figure out how she feels about her now.

The audiobook brings Gemma and Celeste's voices to life and adds depth to their characters. I was so engaged and didn't want to stop listening. Watching these two try again and find themselves was so beautiful.

If you love great bi and sapphic representation I would highly recommend this book. If you love romance and second changes absolutely pick this up. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a great read!

This is a book I didn't know I needed to read - cute, realistic, diverse and wholesome. I feel like this is such a genuine reflection of how complex relationships can be and yet the beauty and growth of them. It was sincerely realistic and thought-provoking at times. I love the two main characters, Gemma and Celeste, and following their journey together through their culture and workplace throughout this book was a treat! A super easy read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Hachette Audio for this advanced reader copy via audiobook.

Publish Date: 27th May 2025

This was a pretty average second chance romance that kept me engaged throughout the story. I am just starting to dive into sapphic romances, and I have been enjoying them overall! The cover for this book is so cute and I love how the characters are depicted.

I really liked Gemma and Celeste's relationship, but I felt like they struggled so much to get into the swing of things. People grow and change and I think the two of them had a lot of miscommunication. I disliked that they took such a long break away from each other instead of just communicating. I did however like that Celeste went to therapy and was able to realize that she did have issues that she needed to work on. Trust is the base of a relationship and since they both lost trust in each other for different reasons I understand why it was such a road block for them.

As far as the narration goes, I thought it was well done overall and that characters were well portrayed. However, I do think that Celeste's voice fell a bit flat and monotoned at times. Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, and Lyla Lee for an ARC of this audiobook. This review is my own honest opinion.

Rating: 3.5⭐️

One thing about being a bi girly is I am always going to love reading a book that has major bi representation especially when it’s done so well 👏🏻 I also loved how this book talked about how different cultures viewed sexuality (even if it was mostly in a negative light).

This book was so easy to binge and I had a great time listening to it! I really loved Celeste and Gemma’s story and watching this second chance romance bloom. Their chemistry was obvious from their first re-introduction and every *almost* moment made me want more. This book also had a lot more depth than I thought it would which worked for this story and was a good balance with those rom-com moments.

What I would’ve liked to see more of:
1. Celeste - for a dual POV book we didn’t get a lot of chapters in Celeste’s voice so we mainly got to know her through Gemma. I would’ve liked to hear more of her thoughts and feelings, especially in the third act, to get a sense of where she was coming from.
2. James is the “villain” of this story but we don’t get many interactions between him and Gemma. I understand why this plot line played out the way it did but with being one of the main plot lines and being the reason the story started the way it did, I guess I just wanted some more of them as a couple or stronger aftermath to understand Gemma’s heartbreak.

Overall, I thought the narration was done really well! However, Celeste’s narrator sounded too.. old for her character and didn’t put a lot of emotion in her POV chapters.

What drew me to this book was the concept of the book - two exes forced to work together on a project and rekindling an old flame. I think where that went wrong was there was EIGHT YEARS of hurt feelings between the two of them, and it was resolved in literally a chapter. Personally, I like my second-chance romances to come with a bit more conflict resolution than the span of an evening, but maybe that's just me. Now that I'm reflecting, this is true for any conflict/issue tackled in this book - everything was magically resolved very quickly or the author kind of rushed past it. Both Gemma and Celeste's conversations, language, and actions felt a little immature for their near 30 years of age which also threw me off.

All of that said, I think a lot of readers will enjoy seeing themselves in this book. I haven't read many sapphic romances with a lot of Asian representation, so that was refreshing. And I did really enjoy the concept of the project they were working on, interviewing couples of a lot of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences. The narrators were also enjoyable!

Love in Focus was definitely not my cup of tea, but I've seen others sing it's praises.

Rating 5⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️

ALC REVIEW

Let's first start off saying the narrator who did the Gemma's POV, did a phenomanal job. She really put a lot of feelings into the her. Now, the narrator who did Celeste's POV, I unfortunately didn't enjoy so much. Her cadence and pacing for me was too slow? And it just sounded like she was just a paper, very monotone. I honestly, think she could have done a better job or another person to narrate.

Now onto the book

I really enjoyed the story! It is a book i can at least relate to some parts in it. The story is about re-connecting, second chances and also the big factor, healing. Gemma undergoes into her healing journey of engagment being broken off to finding the source of her problems. Celeste on the other had has severe relationship issues Which honestly, I get it, but also Celeste made a HUGE assumption that Gemma would wait for her....likeeeee, girl seriously? You LITERALLY left the girl on read, and you don't think Gemma would but hurt by than? And there is also Gemma who also have problems being alone, which is another can of worms. That being said, no one is perfect, everyone is fawed.

ANYWAY, I can talk about that all day, but we won't get anywhere with that sooo onto the spice! Because honestly, SPICE was NOT in my dictionary. I don't know what I was expecting, but the fact we got spice scenes and WE GOT GOOD ONES. Like okay Lylaa, I see you girl. It was YUMMY. I'm a spicy girly, so this was just added bonus for me.

I received the ARC through Netgallery approved by the publisher

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the audio version. This is a second chance romance that is sweet and thought provoking.

Lyla Lee immediately had me at the dedication, and my appreciation for this book only grew as the story progressed! This book is so sweet and gives rom-com vibes but spicier! 🌶️ It has made it to the top of my list as one of my favorite sapphic books!

A second chance romance between two queer Korean women, who are paired up to write and photograph an article called Modern Love in Focus that highlights queer couples and their stories. As the project progresses, Gemma rekindles the fire that once burned with her college ex, Celeste.

I deeply related to Gemma from the very beginning. She looked around and saw that everyone around her was moving forward (marriage, kids) and felt stuck and like she was being left behind.

I thought it was really unique to get Gemma’s chapters in a first person POV, while Celeste’s chapters were written in third person POV. It helped distinguish the characters’ voices and identities, and made me feel like I knew Gemma well, while Celeste was still a bit of a mystery.

Some of my favorite moments included the interviews for the article with all the couples, the relationship advice they provided and how differently each set described love.

And finally, the audiobook had excellent narrators! Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho embodied and voiced Gemma and Celeste so well. Both narrators read clearly and at a great pace, and gave their characters life. I’ll be looking for more audiobooks with either one as its a narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever for this audiobook ARC! All opinions are my own.

Favorite quotes:

“It’s only natural for someone to think that they would be the exception, that they would be the one to change someone else, and achieve that pipe dream happily ever after. After all, Celeste once thought she was special too.”

“Hell is trying to control people, including yourself. Be nicer to yourself and let you be you, and let Celeste be herself. If you guys end up taking this further than a business relationship, great! If not, that’s fine too. Don’t try to force the hand in either direction. Just be sure you know what you want.”