5-Star ARC Review: Love in Focus by Lyla Lee

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is a heartfelt, swoony, and utterly addictive sapphic romance that had me hooked from the very first page. I found myself reaching for this book outside my usual reading time—always a sign that I’m reading something special.

From the moment we meet Gemma, I was sold. She’s punchy, chatty, and quirky in the best way. Her narration is fast-paced and full of personality, delivering necessary background in a way that feels natural and honest—more like you’re catching up with a friend than sitting through an info dump. Her struggles with modern dating are hilariously relatable, and while her string of failed dates made me laugh, they also perfectly captured the exhausting reality of finding love in the digital age.

Celeste is a strong counterpoint to Gemma, and while her initial coldness feels frustrating, it makes sense as the story unfolds. Her heart was broken, and although I didn’t necessarily agree that both she and Gemma were at fault for their past, I appreciated how their history was treated with honesty and nuance. They were just kids then, and their growth is apparent throughout the story.

And let me tell you—these two have magnets for lips. The chemistry is undeniable and electric. If my ex-girlfriend wrapped her arm around my waist and told people we were together, I’d also have a heart attack. The tension and longing between them are so well written, and when the spice finally comes? Gloriously hot. Pure perfection.

The cultural touches—especially the inclusion of Korean language and traditions—added such richness to the story. It made the world feel that much more alive and gave extra depth to both main characters, especially Celeste. I loved that her reluctance to pursue relationships wasn’t just about a broken heart, but tied into family dynamics and her upbringing. It added a layer of sadness that grounded her decisions in something deeper.

The side characters, especially Val and Kiara, are such sweet and supportive presences. I adored them. They uplifted the story and showed how important chosen family and good friends are in the journey to love.

The ending was everything I hoped for—sweet, satisfying, and full of genuine character growth. Love in Focus is romantic, funny, emotional, and beautifully diverse. I loved every second and can’t wait to see what Lyla Lee writes next.

5 stars.

I overall enjoyed this book! It’s not often you see not only queer / LGBTQIA+ representation, but with an added Asian rep twist. There was one part of the book where the characters are having an emotional conversation about the unfortunate reality for gay people in Asia still and it really hit home because it’s still so accurate. There’s been some change in social acceptance, but still a long way to go.

The two FMC’s I thought were well rounded. This is a second chance romance where they dated in college but one of them suddenly up and left and ghosted the other. Both of their pains from that situation felt so realistic and valid and I loved that both of them were able to recognize and apologize for the pain they caused the other. The development of their reignited relationship felt good. Not forced, not toxic at all.

On the audio specifically:
I liked the two narrators overall! They did a good job with the pacing of each of their sections, and there was definitely enough differentiation in tone that there was no way you’d be confused about who’s speaking. My one gripe though was that even though both characters are Korean (and from what I gather speak Korean and understand the culture), one of the narrators mispronounces a few words. It’s a personal pet peeve and I just wish narrators would just take a few moments to learn the phonetics of the words they’re trying to pronounce. Otherwise, it was great audio!!

Thanks to Hachette audio and NetGalley for this arc!

I thought this audiobook was great. The narrators were great. Not over the top and soothing really. Love the representation in this book as well!

This romance novel was a quick read that kept my attention throughout. I found the latter portion of the book to be more earnest and predictable than the start, but not in a way that was too off putting. I do wish the author described more than told more often - it would have helped build up the tension between the characters. Because of the telling nature, I wasn’t deeply bought into the romance.

The dual POV was interesting in that one used first person and the other third. The second speakers speed was much slower that the first narrator, so I did find myself needing to adjust the read back time in the app between chapters.

3 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

This one was cute. I’m starting to really enjoy second chance romance. The characters have some depth, though they’re not as fleshed out as I like. I think too much time is spent on Gemma’s ex and while it’s integral to the story and growth of our FMC I don’t think they needed to be mentioned as often as they were. However overall it’s a fun easy read.

This is the first book I’ve read where one point of view is done in first person, and the second is done in third and I actually kind of hated it. It was distracting and hurt the flow of the story for me.

I also listened to this on audio and quite frankly I wish I hadn’t. The narrator for Celeste sounded like a robot. My initial reaction was AI, but after doing some research it’s clearly not. However there was no emotion and it was just so flat and matter of fact I was pulled out of the story every single time we switched to her pov. The narrator for Gemma though did a fantastic job and really brought the character to life. I definitely would’ve enjoyed this one more had I read it as opposed to listing.

Thank you to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for an ALC of this novel.

3.75/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️

In my pursuit of reading stores with more diverse characters, I was excited to read (listen) to this during AAPI month! This book follows Gemma and Celeste, two Korean women who met, lived together, and dated during college. Celeste suddenly leaves one day after a year together, texting Gemma to break up. Celeste doesn’t share that it is because her mom got sick and she had to go home to Korea to take care of her. Gemma moves on and meets a man she ends up dating and getting engaged to after 7 years together.

Fast forward and Gemma’s fiancé breaks up with her out of the blue, leaving her heartbroken and homeless. She ends up moving in with friends and taking on a big project at work… where she ends up working with Celeste. Over the course of working with Celeste, they explore what happened and where they go from here. Will they end up together since Celeste lives in LA and Gemma lives in SF?

The audiobook was narrated by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho, who both did excellent jobs portraying their characters. I am grateful that when audiobook narrators are being chosen, they are selecting narrators that identify similarly to the characters. In this instance, both narrators are of Asian descent. It adds a layer of authenticity that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

This was SUCH a sweet romance audio listen!

I loved the second-chance romance between our two main characters, Celeste and Gemma.
Second-chance romance can be tricky because the author needs to convince the reader that the two characters do belong together, even if it didn't work out the first time, and Lyla Lee really did that for me. I wanted them to be together so badly. You could feel they had unfinished business with each other, and I was rooting for them the whole time.

It was so interesting reading a sapphic romance where both characters were Korean. I loved how that played into the storyline in a beautiful way. There were also great side characters and I loved how different queer experiences were talked about and reflected.

If you're looking for a great lesbian romance audio listen, definitely check this one out! It is so romantic and steamy.

Thank you Netgalley!

If love is a lens through which we see the world, then Love in Focus is a beautifully filtered snapshot of second chances, soft sapphic yearning, and the messiness of modern romance—with just the right amount of character growth and emotional honesty.

This sapphic second chance romance follows Gemma, a bisexual relationship advice columnist reeling from a sudden breakup, and Celeste, the tattooed, artsy ex who ghosted her back in college and is now—surprise!—the photographer on Gemma’s career-defining assignment. The story is witty, cozy, a little spicy, and delivers on so many good tropes:
📸 Workplace forced proximity
📸 Second chance romance
📸 Bisexual rep
📸 Queer Asian MCs navigating cultural expectations
📸 redemption arc

Let’s talk about the audiobook, because that’s where this rom-com really flourished. Natalie Naudus, narrating Gemma, was a standout. She absolutely captured Gemma’s blend of self-doubt, wit, and underlying optimism. From the snarky inner monologues to vulnerable heartbreak and cautiously rekindled feelings, Natalie nailed the emotion. Listening to her was like having your clever best friend spill her feelings over a glass of wine.

Catherine Ho, who voices Celeste, had a quieter energy. Her tone was warm and even, and had the charisma I expected from a globe-trotting, leather-jacket-wearing, cool-girl photographer. Celeste, as written, is a character with big vibes, and the narration matched that presence.

The story itself? So bingeable. I devoured it over a weekend. Gemma and Celeste’s journey back to each other was sweet, reflective, and layered with identity, culture, and just the right amount of romantic tension. It also isn’t afraid to explore themes like emotional avoidance, queer erasure in immigrant families, and self-worth.

I wanted more angst. More mess. More of Celeste wrestling with what she did and more of Gemma processing it before so easily letting her back in. This ghosting wasn't a missed text—it was an eight-year blackout. But that's just me who loves the DRAMA! lol.

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

This was one of my most anticipated reads and I was SO excited to get approved for the an advanced copy of the audiobook. The narrators were both great and really embodied Gemma and Celeste.
Love in Focus is a sapphic second-chance romance that will have you swooning. I really loved and connected to both characters. I felt Gemma and Celeste’s need to be near each other no matter in what form and I was rooting for them throughout the entire book. As someone who took a break before starting forever with their partner, time apart really can help two people grow both individually and within their relationship. I find that to be really important in this story and I found it to be very realistic. The spice in this book was also perfect and it tied in well with the story.

I’m a Lyla Lee lover through and through!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC! Celeste and Gemma were so cute and their shared history of almost a decade made this second chance romance all the more special. I loved that they were both journalists who met again through a work project — so sweet and made me feel connected to their story that much more. This sapphic, WOC romance didn’t disappoint in one bit. Highly recommend, especially the audio!

3.5 ⭐️, leaning towards 4⭐️

I really enjoyed this story. I found both of the main characters to be realistic, and the way they interacted with each other and the other characters felt authentic. I really enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I felt their pacing was great and the inflections for each character made them stand out. I do feel like it was a little too long. I was more invested in the romance than the side plot and it got to around the 80% mark and I felt like we could have started wrapping things up then. While I enjoyed the characters, it didn’t feel like they have ever had a relationship. They really acted more like strangers or acquaintances, and I kept forgetting this was a second chance romance. Nothing about the romance or the plot was life changing, and it was a little more fluffy (nothing wrong with that! sometimes we need fluff!) but that’s why I settled on a 3.5 star and not a full 4 star rating.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Forever for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Well this book was an amazing surprise! I started listening to the audio on a whim, and one chapter in I was hooked! The story follows Gemma and Celeste, who were together in college until circumstances and misunderstandings forced them apart. 8 years later, they are writing a magazine article together on Modern Love, and sparks are rekindled between them! I really loved the story, and I believed the chemistry between Gemma and Celeste. I really felt the pining and angst between them from all the years apart. I also even liked the third act breakup! I really felt it was necessary for the growth of both characters, and I felt like their happy ending was really hard earned and worth it. (Also, the spicy scenes were H.O.T.)

The audiobook was excellent, the narrators really brought all the characters to life and kept me engaged in the story. I highly recommend!

3.5, but I round up.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette audio for this audiobook!
This is a super cute, if a little tropey sapphic romance! Celeste and Gemma are very cute characters with great chemistry! The books reads as a little uneven. This is made truer by the switch from third person POV for one character and first person for the main character. While I did not personally find this jarring, there also wasn't an obvious literary reason for it, which was kinda a bummer. I wanted to know more about both characters, cus I really liked them! I will definitely read more by this author.

This was a delightful second chance romance. There was a fantastic place setting established, and lots of messy and realistic drama that followed Gemma’s break up with her long time boyfriend and co-worker. And then to have the ex-girlfriend who loved and left you when you were both in college show up as your project partner on the work assignment that could be a major boon for your career? The stakes were raised, but the stress stayed fairly low. Both Gemma and Celeste approached their working relationship with caution and honesty, rebuilding trust gradually and rediscovering who the other is as an adult on the cusp of 30. There was fantastic emotional growth for these characters.

I will mention that early on in the book, there is casual commentary from Celeste that comes across as bi-phobic: “…only to discover that Gemma had not only moved on, but she’d moved on with a man. A lesbian’s worst nightmare.”

I had both an e-ARC and an ALC - primarily listening to the audio version. I greatly enjoyed Natalie Naudlus’ performance, but found Catherine Ho’s voice to be a bit too mature for the age and affect of Celeste’s character.

Read if you are in the mood for:
San Francisco place setting
Workplace romance
Second chance romance
Sapphic love story
Emotional growth and maturity
AAPI female main characters

An original and beautiful romance with an amazing cast of characters. The main, side, and anyone even briefly mentioned felt so real. I loved seeing the characters grow and discover what they want for themselves as the story progressed.

Thank you, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Love in Focus follows Gemma who recently gut dumped by her fiancée after seven years in relationship when out of nowhere, she is paired up in a work project with her ex-girlfriend Celeste, the same woman who made her realise her sexual orientation back in college. Both are taken aback by the situation, but fate clearly has other plans.
Listening to this audiobook was a lovely experience. The narration team did a great job bringing the characters and emotions to life, which made the story even more engaging. I liked how far-fetched was the story which made it more of a bingeable material. However, there were a few moments that felt a bit unrealistic, especially considering the characters are nearing thirty; some dialogue didn’t quite feel age-appropriate or believable. The ending wasn’t entirely satisfying for me, but I understand the author’s reasoning for choosing to wrap things up that way.
I do think that someone who is into sapphic, second-chance workplace romances would appreciate this cute and heartfelt listen.

I found the book had a good strong start that pulled me in instantly. I quite enjoyed this story and found it interesting. It kept my attention the entire time and it had a great epilogue. I loved that this did not end in a typical HEA but instead, both main characters ended on good terms and actively working on having a healthy relationship and taking things slow allowing space for each other to grow and mature while still being together.

My only complaint is that there were a couple details I found to be a bit too similar to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care but i wouldn’t deter anyone from reading this as i still enjoyed it very much.

This was SO CUTE!! I loved this sapphic romance and that both the main characters were POC!! I knocked it down cuz I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope which happened a lot in this book. BUT I loved that they both had moments of mental health work! This really was so cute and more on the realistic side of romance. Really cute and highly recommend!

This was my first book I read by Lyla Lee and I am now ready to read more of them. I love that she writes books for every age. I would love to read about teens and younger and see how those books are. I learned about Korean culture and wished to try some of the food they talk about in the book. The love story is complicated and sometimes that is how real life is. Sometimes just because people fall in love doesn't mean that their love story will work out the first time. I also loved the love story of the main characters friends. They added well to the story.

This was my first book by Lyla Lee and when I saw it available on NetGalley for review I snagged it in anticipation of meeting the author at SteamyLitCon this year. I initially fell for the gorgeous cover but stayed for the great character development and relatable plot.

Journalist Gemma writes a relationship advice column for a San Francisco publication but she isn't convinced that true love really exists. When her seven-year old relationship suddenly ends, she throws herself into her work and is paired with Celeste Min on a big project. Celeste is a successful photographer and also happens to be Gemma's college ex.

Gemma and Celeste's relationship ended very suddenly and left them both confused and hurt so when they are thrown together to work on this project, they are walking on eggshells. But despite their rocky history, the sparks still fly between them and they can't seem to stay away from each other, even though they both have doubts on any relationship that may form.

I'm a sucker for a good love story and this one is just that. Sapphic romances aren't something I read a lot of so I found this one new and exciting because it is something fairly new to me. In addition, I thought the character development was great and there were some great side characters. The pacing was perfect and I found the theme of growing up and coming into one's own relatable.

My one complaint was the narrator for Celeste. Her voice came across as very robotic and that is not how I pictured Celeste to be at all. I'm not sure if the robotic quality of her voice was due to the speed I played the audio (only 1.25 so not super fast) but it really detracted from the story during Celeste's POV. On the other hand, I thought the narrator for Gemma was great and she portrayed Gemma perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio/Forever for the audio ARC My review is honest and voluntary.