Super cute romance read. it was easy to read easy to follow and I love how there wasn’t any miscommunication trope. The cover super cute!

Cute quick audiobook. I really enjoyed it for the most part. I didn’t love the pov switch from first to third. But overall it was an enjoyable quick fun read. Love a second chance romance!!

Rating Breakdown:
Characters - 3
Plot - 3
Setting - 4
Writing - 2
Enjoyment - 3
Total Rating - 3

Review:
This was a cute, quick audiobook. I loved the relationships between Gemma and her friends, and the dynamic of working with an ex. I'm also a sucker for a second-chance romance.

The one thing that really soured this book for me was the switch from first to third person for Celeste's POV chapters. I hated it with a passion. Gemma's narrator was very lovely and I felt like I really knew her character threw the narration, but then I felt like I was just being told Celeste's feelings and motivations. It made Celeste's narrator feel very robotic and it really threw me out of the story.
Bottom Line:
This was a cute second-chance romance premise, but the execution fell very flat. It was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this title to review.

3 Stars Love in Focus is a cute sapphic romance with great queer Asian representation!

When her fiance suddenly breaks up with her after 7 years together, romance advice columnist Gemma Cho questions whether true love really exists. She thought she had found it before with her college girlfriend, Celeste, before Celeste suddenly disappeared from her life, seemingly having moved back home to Korea. Then she thought she found it with James until the breakup. Now, Gemma has been tasked with writing a career-defining piece on modern love and the photographer for the project is none other than Celeste, her college ex. Sparks still fly between Gemma and Celeste, who struggle to keep their current relationship strictly professional. Can time heal all wounds and give Gemma and Celeste a second chance at love?

This was a surprisingly quick story and I flew through the audiobook! I loved how the queer Asian rep was woven into the story, like how important it was for both women to see an elderly Asian woman in a sapphic marriage. Despite both characters being 29/30 years old, their romantic problems felt younger, like they were actually fresh out of college. There was a lack of maturity in both characters when it came to relationships. And while I understand that there was still chemistry between them after all the time apart, it felt like there wasn’t much to draw Celeste and Gemma back together again besides a physical attraction. I wanted just a bit more to make their reunion more believable.

Thank you Forever for the ALC! Love in Focus releases May 27th!

My expectations for this one weren't super high when I requested it from NetGalley, in all honestly, I thought it was just going to be a fun time reading a rom-com sapphic book that'll make me laugh and then forget about in a few months.

Love in Focus did the exact opposite. This is a book that I won't forget anytime soon. Not after the tears I shed for Celeste and Gemma. Lyla Lee's writing is so fun and immersive that I just had to keep listening. Not only were you following Gemma through a breakup, you were also seeing how she has been affected by this long-term relationship, how she is processing the past relationships and her past self. Her growth is so well depicted and written that you can't help but smile at the outcome of her story.

Celeste to me is the perfect example of someone who processes emotions and goes through hardships, the exact opposite of how I process them. Her character showed so much strength and emotional maturity, and that's so beautiful to see. I saw parts of myself in both these characters, their struggles, their strengths and the way they cope and go through life are so relatable and realistic, it added so much more depth to the book.

This isn't only a love story, this book is about processing grief, change, loss of relationships, recovery, trying to find your place in this big world and being yourself with yourself before diving into a relationship. Self-discovery is such a big theme in the book, and could not have been portrayed better.

I would have wanted a bit more input from Celeste's side of everything, the shift in storytelling perspective really made her feel slightly detached and more distant than Gemma, but maybe that might have been the point. I will be carrying bits of Gemma and Celeste with me after this, individually and as a couple.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Forever for the ARC! This had all the makings of a swoony second-chance sapphic romance—exes brought back together by a high-stakes project, lingering chemistry, and a chance to heal old wounds. And while there were definitely cute and cozy moments, the execution didn’t quite land for me.

First, the POV shifts were rough. The book jumps between 1st and 3rd person depending on whose chapter it is, and honestly? It pulled me right out of the story—especially on audio. Celeste’s chapters, in particular, felt emotionally flat and almost unnecessary. I would’ve been fine with just Gemma’s POV the whole way through.

Then there’s the ghosting. Eight years is a long time to disappear on someone you supposedly loved. That level of betrayal should’ve come with way more emotional fallout. Instead, Gemma forgives Celeste so quickly that it felt unearned. I kept waiting for a deeper reckoning between them, but it never really came.

The ending was sweet, but definitely rushed. After all the back-and-forth, I wanted more than just a neat little wrap-up and a kiss. That said, the writing itself was good, the characters were likable, and the chemistry was there—it just didn’t reach the emotional depth I was hoping for.

Final thoughts: a soft, easy listen with a solid premise, but not one that fully convinced me of its happy ending. Cute, but not amazing.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee was a fun, fast-paced read with swoony romance and great chemistry between the leads. I loved the flirty banter and emotional moments, though I wished for a bit more depth outside the relationship. Still, it delivered on the feels and was an enjoyable escape!

Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc.

Love in Focus is a heartfelt YA romance about two teens finding connection and clarity during a summer film program in NYC. Arden and Jamie’s slow-burn relationship is full of warmth, creativity, and emotional depth, with thoughtful exploration of identity and family pressure.

Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho bring the dual POVs to life beautifully in the audiobook—each voice distinct and emotionally resonant.

A sweet, affirming listen with just a few familiar beats. Perfect for fans of gentle, character-driven romance.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: May 27, 2025

This open door second chance sapphic romance was disappointingly slow, and the chemistry between the main characters was nonexistent. They didn’t seem to resolve anything from their past, both blaming each other…but then suddenly they’re hooking up again?

This book has a dual POV, even though it’s not evenly split, and there are two audiobook narrators. Unfortunately, Gemma’s narrator is much better. Celeste’s narrator was very formal with distractingly odd pacing and pauses, I felt like I was listening to a lecture. Her robotic narration of the open door scenes made me disconnect from the book completely.

Love in Focus was right down the middle for me—I didn't hate it, and I didn't love it. I found it to be mostly boring in that not much happens outside of working and flirting; both characters largely unsure if the other character is intentionally flirting with them. I was really rooting for Gemma and wanting her to figure things out for herself, so I was happy to journey with her. Especially as she juggled exploring her sexuality as an adult (because this exploration was cut short in college), her career, and wanting to get to a place where she felt happy and content. I did think it was a fair and apt observation of Celeste to question Gemma on rolling from relationship to relationship and not taking time to get to know herself and figure out what she wants. The storyline with Gemma's ex was obvious from the start so it was confusing that it took her so long to come to the realization, so I felt like that was stretched out unnecessarily.

I didn't care much for Celeste, to be honest. I found her to be impulsive and non-communicative when she didn't need to be. She dropped Gemma in college, and then when things finally start to develop for them in the workplace, she makes this unilateral decision that they can't be together once again, but spends her time away from Gemma wishing they could be together. And it's like…you totally CAN be together if you communicate. I found her to be kind of stuffy and underdeveloped. The spice was lacking heat for me, and I think this is because I felt like even though this is a second-chance romance, it is totally lacking angst and longing.

The narration was decent—each FMC has their own narrator, and I am partial to the narrator for Gemma because I liked Gemma as a character more. Celeste's narrator was kind of stiff, but I couldn't tell if that was intentional due to Celeste's stiffness I liked the friend group's storyline, and the comical ways being a lesbian/being queer is discussed. I also overall enjoyed the writing style and the cultural representation for Koreans and Korean-Americans Lyla Lee weaves throughout the story!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALS and ARC!

3 ⭐️s
2 🌶️
🚨 Pub Date: 05/27/25

This was such a good audiobook - the story was well written and it was performed with the perfect tone!

I really liked how the story unfolded, I love a second chance romance but really appreciated how the original relationship/break up was addressed. I’m not the biggest fan of miscommunication, normally because it’s not done in a way I like but Lyla Lee writes it perfectly. It’s discussed and dealt with in a way that doesn’t make you resent anyone (in my opinion) but does so it a realistic way.

I liked the discussion of the expectations of bi relationships and how Gemma’s relationships were viewed. The representation of different relationships was interesting and really helped you emphasise with the characters.

I thought Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho’s performances were perfect - they really captured the characters and their emotion. They really added to the experience of listening to the book! 5 star performance!

This is a second-chance romance following Gemma and Celeste. Gemma has recently been dumped by her fiancé, and Celeste reappears in Gemma's life after disappearing seven years before. I found the story to be just okay; however, I do think there are plenty of people who will love it. There is a good bit of spice in here, which surprised me, the perfect amount for me. I felt that this book was a little too cheesy for me to really enjoy. Regarding the audiobook, the narrator for Gemma does male voices so well! And, all the characters' voices were easily distinguishable. Overall, the narrators were emotive but not so much that it became distracting. The production and narration were great and facilitated an enjoyable reading experience.

I think that the narrators did a great job with the material, but the book just wasn't for me. The changing from first person in one chapter to third person in another chapter was really confusing for me to follow.

A sweet sapphic second-chance romance that felt warm, hopeful, and easy to sink into.

The premise is familiar—exes forced to work together, still-simmering tension, a little career chaos thrown in—but the execution made it feel fresh. I especially appreciated the cultural details and the clear focus on emotional growth. It never felt overly dramatic or too tidy; the characters worked on themselves, both together and apart, and that grounded the romance nicely.

The friendship elements were another strong point. So often romance stories skip past that layer, but here it’s treated with the same care as the love story. That balance made everything feel more genuine.

As for the audiobook: Naudus and Ho brought solid performances that matched the characters well. The only hiccup was the uneven chapter division between narrators—it wasn’t a strict split, and sometimes that felt a little disjointed. Not a dealbreaker, but I did notice.

🖤 Final thoughts:
Cozy, queer, and full of quiet charm. If you’re in the mood for something gentle and affirming with just the right touch of emotional weight, this fits the bill.

Best for: Fans of second chances, slow reconnections, and romances that prioritize character growth and friendship.

Before I get into my review of “Love In Focus”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC!

I loved this book SO much and never wanted it to end! Such a great book for anyone who wants an easy cozy book to read or a book to get them out of a reading slump.

As someone who’s not a fan of the second-chance romance trope, I was thoroughly surprised by how much I loved this book. It was sweet and spicy and had all the feels!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my favorite kind of romance :)

Lyla Lee's Love in Focus shows great growth in the main character, and goes deep into Gemma's journey between her love interests, her friendships, and her job.

Even though Celeste gets her own pov periodically throughout the story, she exists to show us Gemma's journey which is cleverly done in the first person and shows what a good writer Lee is!

I really enjoyed the performances in the audio version by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho. Both voices fit the characters perfectly.

"Love in Focus" is an amazing romance book showcasing a second chance lovestory featuring queer, Asian women.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the diversity and the culture side of things. It also didn't feel just like "any other" romance book to me. I can't fully put my finger on the reason, but part of it is definitely the ending. Nothing felt forced, the characters seemed to be in a good place and there because they worked on themselves, apart and together.

The audiobook is done in dual narration, which I personally don't enjoy as much as duett narration. I also feel like there are more chapters from Gemma's perspective, which leads to less chapters read with Celeste's narrator. Sometimes I got thrown off for a second when "all of the sudden" the narrator switched. I think part of that is because Celeste's narrator's style is different (more pauses i think, maybe more).

All in all an enjoyable (audio) book I recommend!

Thank you to Lyla Lee, Hachette Audio en NetGalley for this audiobook ARC.

After being dumped by her long time fiance, Gemma is surprised to find she's been partnered at work with her ex, Celeste, on a Valentine's day assignment at work. A sweet sapphic love story about the one who got away.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ALC! The narrators really brought the characters to life and I really enjoyed the first person x third person POV. I felt it reflected the characters personalities really well! This was such an easy, heartwarming second-chance romance.

Love in Focus is a beautifully tender sapphic romance that captures the magic—and ache—of second chances. When two exes find themselves thrown together again under less-than-ideal circumstances, old wounds reopen… but so does the door to something real.

This book is heartfelt, relatable, and full of quiet yearning. The writing is warm and emotionally resonant, and the characters feel authentic in all their awkwardness, hesitation, and hope. The audio version is especially captivating, with narrators who deliver a truly memorable performance.

If you’re looking for a soft but emotionally rich love story with great voice work and characters you can root for, this one’s absolutely worth the listen.