Late Bloomer

Mazey Eddings never disappoints me. Honestly, this was breathtaking, refreshing and so raw. I loved every moment about this. The dislike and angst between Pepper and Opal. The hilarious moments and forced roommate situation. Then the blooming of feeling between the two MCs. All of it was such a beautiful thing to watch. The messy bits, the ups and the downs. All of it played out beautifully. The epilogue was truly CHEF'S KISS. Beautiful way to wrap it all up with a bow. Absolutely brilliant! 4.5 stars!

I especially love that Mazey gave us a list of Book Titles that could've happened as well as more in depth info and reasoning for the flowers that were mentioned in the book. Loved these small gestures, they made a huge different!

I received this ARC from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this ebook.

“I’m not sure the exact moment we switched roles, but Opal’s grumpiness makes it feel like sunshine is radiating through my veins.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(thank you to NetGalley and PUBLISHER for making this available to read in advance!)

i scarfed this book down in three days — mazey became an auto-buy (or just generally auto-read in this case) author for me the second I put down A BRUSH WITH LOVE. so, i knew LATE BLOOMER was going to be good. but girlypop I was NOT prepared for this!!!

people-pleasing ray of sunshine Opal wins the freaking lottery and on a whim buys a flower farm where she plans to paint shoes, giving her artist self a fresh start. grumpy-raincloud-with-a-secret-heart-of-gold, Pepper, the owner of said [struggling] flower farm, doesn’t realize it’s been sold from right underneath her until Opal shows up on her doorstep. they agree to be roommates (😏😏) until Pepper can eventually raise enough money to buy the farm back from Opal. but things, of course, get complicated because DUN DUN DUN they’re attracted to each other and have no idea how to process the ridiculous situation they’re in

and this book is S P I C Y. holy moly.
“maybe we should huddle together for warmth” is my new favorite subtrope

mazey is, in my opinion, the poster person for neurodivergent representation in fiction. I remember feeling SO seen by Harper and Lizzie when I read her first two books, and if you find yourself represented by characters who are on the autism spectrum, I hope this book holds you and is another firm reminder of the beautiful love you deserve.

grief and complicated family dynamics are also touched on very beautifully in this book. potential TWs if conversations surrounding the loss of a loved one and/or characters that are openly emotional manipulative/abusive are sore spots for you.

but cannot recommend more. this book is a gift.