This was the perfect second chance romance! I love the queer and Asian representation. I binged this at 2.5x speed on audio. The narrators deserve awards for making this so laugh out loud funny and possibly the cutest romance I've read all year

I have been wanting to read more sapphic romance stories, and this book is absolutely precious and such a wonderful ride. I love seeing the vulnerability of both the main characters as well as hearing the part culture plays in both of their beliefs about themselves and ways of operating in this story. This is definitely a book that I would recommend for any and all friends were into romance stories!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I enjoyed this book, I had a fun time listening! Gemma and Celeste are both amazing characters. I loved the queer BIPOC representation in the book! The second chance romance was done beautifully. Gemma and Celeste dated in college, however, one day Celeste left and ghosted Gemma. Now Gemma is a relationship columnist whose fiancée just broke up with her out of the blue. Gemma gets a new assignment at work that has her working with her ex girlfriend from college. One thing I wish we got more of is Celeste pov and I wish that her pov would have been in 1st person rather than 3rd. It just felt a bit off to me. Both narrators did a wonderful job of bring these to characters to life.

I absolutely adored this book. I am not typically a fan of second-chance, but this book handled it with wonderful character growth and backstory that won me over. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for this advanced copy of Love in Focus.

Overall; 4 Stars

Oh man, I was so nervous for this book. Second chance romance is not my favorite, but I wanted to give it a shot because I haven’t read a lot of AAPI sapphic romance. But it really surprised me.
Gemma is a bisexual woman who has just been dumped by her fiance when she is assigned to work with her ex on a project. The ex is the woman who helped her realize she was bi, and the “one who got away”
I loved Gemma’s growth in this book. I loved how she became self aware of her flaws and how codependency on partners to determine her happiness.
Celeste is a lesbian who has spent her life knowing who she was but also never feeling accepted by her Korean family. After leaving college, and Gemma behind to take care of her sick mother, she returns to find Gemma in a relationship with a man, which breaks her heart.
Celeste’s growth in this book was beautiful and raw. She clearly had so much trauma from her father leaving her mother, and her own feelings of not being accepted in a home she truly missed. Seeing her finally see a couple reflect the future she wanted was a beautiful moment that brought tears to my eyes.

My main critique is the end is a Happy for Now ending rather than a Happily Ever After. I wish we could have seen them even in the distant future finally settled, but overall I loved the book.

Since I love Lyla Lee's YA work, I was so hyped for this adult romance. When the cover dropped, so did my jaw. Absolutely gorgeous.
Unfortunately, the audiobook was a drag. The intros felt more like a synopsis than anything else and the constant pop culture references started to annoy me, as did all the "Let's go out and drink" scenes. (The latter is totally a me-thing, I'm sure.)
I'll listen to anything Natalie Naudus narrates: prose that isn't entirely my thing, IKEA instructions, what have you. But Celeste's narrator was AWFUL. It was the last straw. At first I thought she was just doing short interstitials but she kept appearing (which, yeah, duh, it's dual POV). I could not deal with her. She sounded so choppy and slow, as if she was seeing the words for the first time and had never narrated anything before in her life. If you can, avoid the audiobook, a physical reading experience might yield more joy. This one's a big no. (Sorry Lyla, sorry Natalie, I really tried.)

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love in Focus was an amazing romance story. It follows two former lovers that reconnect after a dramatic break up in college. Celeste and Gemma went separate ways after college/break up, but in a twist of fate they find each other in the professional careers. Celeste is a freelance photographer and Gemma is an advice columnist for a magazine. When the opportunity comes up from a romantic piece for Valentine's Day fate throws these two back together. The growth that both characters took separate and together is amazing, and in the end it is the thing that draws them closer together. It is a inspiring and cute romance story and it is definitely worth the read.

This book was adorable. It did well at portraying relationships in late 20’s, and I really enjoyed second chance romance elements to Gemma & Celeste’s relationship. It was also really refreshing to see Asian sapphic relationships portrayed in a novel. I found the multiple POVs slightly confusing to navigate hence the 4 stars but overall a great win for the LGBTQIA+ literature community!

Gemma and Celeste were fast lovers until they were separated for eight years.
During that time Gemma thought she had moved on
After her fiancé called off their engagement she was partnered up with her old love on a work assignment.
Will they get their HEA, after all?

The premise of this story was cute, with a good amount of spice! It was an easy read, but I didn’t find myself super drawn to the characters and the story. The plot felt chaotic at times, but overall a good book.

Thank you Net Galley & Lyla Lee for the opportunity to listen to and review this alc!

3.5/5 stars

Sapphic second-chance workplace/forced proximity romance.

I loved the work project of interviewing different couples about their love stories as a background for these two former lovers rekindling their love. Highlighting these stories is so important to have representations of diverse couples (like how they said they'd never seen an elder sapphic asian couple before interviewing). Also, appreciated this book showing how being queer in Asian families can be a challenge culturally. I think a lot of people will feel seen by these character's queer journies. I also liked the spicy scenes and how Celeste helps Gemma feel more comfortable exploring her sexuality. Could I have used more? sure, but that's my personal preference. I was nervous about a third act breakup (mainly I was scared Celeste would just be callous about their relationship saying 'I don't do relationships') but I think it was more realistic for her just to be afraid of being hurt again. And I like that they both took time apart, went to therapy (we love to see it) and then found their way back together

The switching between the 1st person POV for Gemma to 3rd person POV for Celeste was an odd choice - I'm not sure why it was told that way. We get so few of Celeste's POV chapters I think that also exacerbated this, and made the connection to her character a bit tougher to relate to. A pitfall of second-chance romance is that it can rely too much on an assumption of characters past connection and I think this did slightly lean that way. Just a bit too much telling about how connected they were in college and they just kinda picked that up again which felt a tad unrealistic.

Natalie's narration is fantastic, I immediately recognized her voice as I've listened to other books she's narrated so nothing lacking there!

Overall I liked this but it didn't knock me off my feet - but it was an enjoyable enough read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook arc


Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia*
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment

*both MCs are Asian and have dealt with bi/lesbo/homophobia from their cultures/families - I think it was generally discussed in a way that will make queer Asian folks feel seen

This was a very cute modern romance between Celeste, a lesbian photographer with commitment issues, and Gemma, a bisexual advice columnist and serial monogamist.

Overall I enjoyed this book. There were fun nods to LGBTQ culture and life in San Francisco - I particularly enjoyed the Oasis name drop. Gemma and Celeste were often relatable, and their opposite personalities were fun together.

I didn't love the writing. It could be superfluous, and there was a lot of Millennial Pop Culture phrasing and references that felt cringe to me and might prematurely age the story. The spicy scenes also didn't really do it for me. But I DID appreciate the strap scene 👀

I was almost surprised when the third-act breakup happened, but it did make sense for each character's arc. After everything, the ending kind of felt rushed and the characters were almost too self-aware. But who doesn't love a sapphic Hallmark romance novel?

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the early audiobook
I loved this! I thought it was so cute. I read the description wrong so I wasn't ready for a second chance romance but I ate it up! I also loved that they have to start talking again because of an article about love and how different couples are. I thought that Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho did a good job narrating. Overall this was a cute and fun romance and I'm glad I got to listen to it!

Thank you to NetGalley & all who provided me with the ALC of this book.
I'd never read this author before, and when I looked her up I saw that she does a lot of children's and YA books. I don't read those, (well very occasionally a YA here or there), so that might explain why.

This is a second-chance sapphic romance between two college women who abruptly broke up during their senior year when one of them went back to Seoul without a word. Gemma, who's bi, moves on pretty quickly and gets engaged to James, who turns out to be a big douche-canoe. Then fate reconnects Gemma & Celeste.

The characters were built nicely, and the side characters were fun. It is a slow burn, but it a cute little read.

Gemma Cho and Celeste Min were college roommates and seemingly first loves. But Celeste returned to Korea and ghosts Gemma in their last year. Celeste moves on to James, a guy in their friend group. Fast forward eight years and James calls off their engagement and Gemma is now sleeping on her best friend's sofa. At the magazine where Gem works she gets the chance to write the cover story article. A special photographer has been hired and it is her ex Celeste.

There are parts of this book that are very engaging. Gem is sweet and hard working. She initially isn’t thrilled to see Celeste again but it is a chance to get the answers as to why she left. Celeste is talented and is closed off to new relationships because she never got over Gem. I like the honesty between the two. I like the discussion of the lack of queer representation in media, especially older couples. And they both carry the extra burden of Asian cultural expectations. As Celeste points out gay marriage is not yet recognized in her home country let alone her family.

Some parts of the book I wanted something more. James could have been more of an antagonist. And I was thrown when it was switched to Celeste’s POV because it switched to first person and I found that jarring. And I didn’t need a grand gesture but did want a little something more for their HEA. I know they are going to get their HEA but I wanted more in the moment. But overall a very enjoyable sapphic second chance romance.

This story was cute. I enjoyed it.
1. Since I received the narration of this book I feel it’s only right for me to comment on the narration. Natalie Naudus is an exceptional narrator. I will read anything she narrates. Her work in this book was no exception. I very much enjoyed her narrating.
However, if there wasn’t a name listed next to the second narrator in this dual narration, I would have thought it was AI. I will try more or Catherine Ho’s work but this wasn’t great. It was so monotoned. It lacked emotion. Honestly, Natalie could have done both parts and it would have been fine. I feel like the narrator seemed like a different person from the character. Like the character was younger but the narration made her seem way older.

As for the story, I love sapphic romances. I think they’re so much fun and beautiful and raw. They show their emotions and how they really feel in the moments.

Spoilers below






I will say that the third act “breakup” is an annoying trope BUT this one was good because it showed that they each took that time to truly grow and not just realize they wanted to be together, or something. It was deeper than just their relationship.

Overall good book. I would definitely recommend it.

Probably more like a 2.75 but I rounded up.

In general, I liked the concept of the book. Two exes forced to work together on a project and rekindling their romance over time. And I enjoyed the flow of the prose and the writing.

I think that where it went wrong was how quickly the conflict with her and Celeste was resolved. The didn't talk for over 8 years and then resolve everything within a chapter. I guess I was hoping for something more drawn out, and so the middle was kind of flat once that was resolved. I also think we didn't really need Celeste's point of view at all actually; it didn't really add much to the story since it was so sparsely included, and mostly just gave me the impression that she was kind of biphobic. The characters also struck me more as new adult sometimes than 30 year olds with all of their PDA, it made me cringe internally.

I almost wish we had gotten to explore a little more the conflict with James, but all in all I like the way that conflict and the story was wrapped up as a whole. I think it really showed how the events changed her and how their relationship would actually work this time around.

The narrator did a great job, and I would definitely listen to another book read by her.

The first thing I noticed about this book was its gorgeous cover. Then I read the blurb and knew I wanted to hear this audiobook. I mean, I‘m a romance reader… of course I want to hear a second chance romance about two exes who have to work together on an article about love!

I liked the narrator reading Gemma, Natalie Naudus, a lot, but Catherine Ho, the narrator for Celeste didn‘t sound natural to me at all. She made long pauses between sentences and it felt irritating to me. Overall, the audio was easy to follow and there was a clear difference in the sound pattern, so you always knew who was talking.

Throughout the book, the FMC interviews different couples about their love story and the last question always was, how would you define love? For me, that was the leading theme of the story. We get to accompany Gemma and Celeste while they define their love. This was a sweet story, a feel-good story. It was an everyday love story, that could have happened to you or one of your friends.

Gemma was a really thought-through character. She had some quirks, but that just made her more likable. But I had my troubles with Celeste. To me, she came across as self-centred and a bit manipulative. I mean really, she breaks up with her girlfriend of over a year via text and without explanation and then she has ne nerve to be hurt when said girlfriend moves on? Also, she always complains that her mother doesn‘t accept that she‘s a lesbian, but then shows biphobic tendencies herself? James was a bit too stereotypical portrayed for me and I felt like there was wasted potential in the situation with him.
This story could have been more, but nevertheless it was really cute and I‘m sure it will lighten your day!

Thank you to Lyla Lee, NetGalley, and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

The comparison to The Bold Type is really what convinced me to read this book but unfortunately it wasn’t giving me the same feelings as the show. The book itself was a decent read. There were parts of both Celeste and Gemma that I could relate to. Maybe it was the pace or the timing but the ease of forgiveness between them before they got back together was throwing me off. The audiobook was great. I was able to fly through it. Sort of middle of the road for me overall!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
There is underlying tones of biphobia in this book and @buffyreads on threads pointed out what I had been feeling and I found out that this is never addressed so I decided to DNF at 28%. The love interest Celeste is angry that the MC moved on back in college when she basically ghosted her when she had to leave for a family emergency. This is classic miscommunication but the underlying tone of why Celeste is so mad is because the MC moved on with a man. She literally says it's 'a lesbians worst nightmare' which is just so biphobic. I continued as I hoped this would be addressed since I was loving the rest of the story but it never does so I wouldn't recommend this.

I loved the audio and I would have definitely recommended the audiobook as it has dual narrators if there wasn't biphobia in this.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio and Lyla Lee for this audioARC in exchange for an honest review

Okay, so I have to admit, I’m not usually a romance reader at all. But I’ve been trying to branch out lately since last month (I blame booksta where I keep feeling like I’m missing out), and Love in Focus was such a pleasant surprise! It’s the kind of book that feels like a sweet strawberry on a sunny day, even though I went into it fully expecting to be skeptical.

Gemma, the main character, was such a refreshing protagonist. She felt real in a way that not all characters do—flaws, messy emotions, and all. Some people might find her a little prickly or frustrating at times, but that’s exactly why I loved her. She wasn’t just a "perfect" love interest waiting to happen. She had depth, insecurities, and a personality that jumped off the page. Celeste, on the other hand, was instantly likeable, but I do wish we’d gotten to know her a little better. She was charming and sweet, but compared to Gemma, she felt a very underdeveloped and 2 dimensional. That said, their relationship was adorable. It wasn’t overly dramatic or full of unnecessary angst—just two girls figuring things out in a way that felt genuine and heartwarming.

And can we talk about Gemma’s found family? Because they were everything. I’m a total sucker for quirky, supportive side characters, and this book delivered. They added so much warmth and humor to the story, and I found myself grinning every time they showed up. It’s the kind of friend group that makes you wish you could jump into the book and join them for coffee (or in their case a manifestation ritual).

The writing style was light and breezy, which fit the story perfectly—it made for such an easy, enjoyable read. My only real complaint was the occasional random switch to third-person POV? It wasn’t constant, but every time it happened, it pulled me out of the story for a second. Still, it wasn’t enough to ruin my enjoyment.

Overall, Love in Focus was exactly what I needed—a cute, low-stakes romance with enough heart to keep me hooked. It’s the kind of book I’d recommend for a lazy afternoon, especially if you’re curled up in the sun with a snack and want something sweet and uplifting.

4.5 / 5 Stars