Opal, a chronic people pleaser and down on her luck, didn’t think winning the lottery would ruin her life, but it sort of did. Quitting her thankless job, she’s bombarded by people who have treated her horribly in the past but are now desperate for a handout. And Opal can’t stop saying yes.
In an attempt to get away from all the people, Opal decides to invest her money in a failing flower farm in North Carolina to move away from the hubbub and get started on her painting business. However, her plans for getting away from people fails when an angry Pepper Smith is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper claims that she’s the real owner and isn’t going anywhere. Striking up a temporary agreement to co-habitate the farm until they figure out the rightful owner, neither of them expects that they might just find the sanctuary they were looking for—not in the farm but in each other.
Come for the sapphic opposites-attract romance, stay for the “getting called out as a chronic people pleaser” vibes.
Opal is a people pleaser if there ever was one. People use her because they know they can get away with it and Opal always feels incredibly guilty when she tries to take a stand or say no (been there). Anyone who’s ever been run over in the name of “being a good friend and helping out” is sure to know exactly how Opal feels 99% of the day. While I would have loved for a bit more here in terms of character development (Opal stays pretty much the same throughout the story albeit a slight bit better at confrontation), I also liked that this book felt a bit like a sitcom with characters just—staying the way they are while dealing with day-to-day life. Pepper, on the other hand, is dealing with grieving for her aunt and doesn’t handle change or strangers that well. In the beginning, Opal and Pepper definitely get off to a bad start and the sunshine/grumpy vibes truly are immaculate. But just like a flower, their romance blossoms in the end. Fans of slow burn will devour this for sure.
Are there high stakes? No. In all honesty, this is a fluffy, cute sapphic romance with minimal angst and most of the dramatic action happening in the background. Was there more potential for the characters and growth? Sure, but I enjoyed this story for what it was, which is really all you can ask for in a fun, short romance. The whole figuring out who will actually get to stay on the farm is wrapped up nicely in the end and makes for a happily ever after.
If you’re looking for a new soft and sapphic comfort read that’s light on the angst, then Late Bloomer is sure to brighten up your shelves.
Late Bloomer is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 16th 2024.
Will you be picking up Late Bloomer? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A sapphic opposites-attract romance with Mazey Edding’s signature sparkling voice!
Winning the lottery has ruined Opal Devlin’s’s life. After quitting her dead-end job where she’d earned minimum wage and even less respect, she’s bombarded by people knocking at her door for a handout the second they found out her bank account was overflowing with cash. And Opal can’t seem to stop saying yes.
With her tender heart thoroughly abused, Opal decides to protect herself by any means necessary, which to her translates to putting almost all her new money to buying a failing flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina to let the flowers live out their plant destiny while she uses the cabin on the property to start her painting business.
But her plans for isolation and self-preservation go hopelessly awry when an angry (albeit gorgeous) Pepper Smith is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper states she’s the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, and isn’t moving out. The unlikely pair strike up an agreement of co-habitation, and butt-heads at every turn. Can these opposites both live out their dreams and plant roots? Or will their combustible arguing (and growing attraction) burn the whole place down?
