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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, Hachette Audio & Lyla Lee for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a cute second chance, FF, workplace romance. There was no denying the MCs physical chemistry. The spice spiced nicely. I was a little taken aback by Celeste's biphobia. I find it hard to wrap my mind around how severely Celeste ghosted Gemma, yet Gemma needs to apologize for moving on? In that regard- the long term miscommunication trope is a little distracting. But if you don't overthink it- it's fun tale. The ex fiance infuriated me.. "blow off steam with HER but still in love with you.." MEN!
Dual narration was phenomenal. Both female presenting narrators have distinctly different voices and it was simple to differentiate mentally between the two.
Okay, I really enjoyed the setting! San Francisco was such a vibrant backdrop, and I loved how much the characters were connected to the city—it gave the whole story a cozy, grounded vibe.
The premise was adorable: revisiting old wounds while interviewing couples about their own love stories? That structure worked really well. It allowed for a lot of reflection, tension, and some truly touching moments. I also really liked the second chance angle—there was real chemistry and emotional weight between Gemma and Celeste. The sexual tension? Yep, it was there, and it worked.
That said, I never felt fully connected to them. I think the story leaned too much into telling instead of showing, especially in the emotional beats. It felt a little too polished, not quite raw enough for me to be fully invested.
Still, it was sweet, full of heart, and made for a great listen—the audiobook narrators were excellent. Definitely a soft, pleasant read.
Love in Focus, a second chance romance by Lyla Lee, was a fabulous read. The story follows Gemma and Celeste, former college sweethearts. The chemistry between Celeste (who left the country 7 years ago, resulting in the end of their romance), and Gemma (fresh out of the relationship she jumped into after Celeste left), is so delicious. They both clearly still have feelings for each other, and the story has a fun and interesting plot. And, of course, there is a highly enjoyable spicy scene (or three) along the way.
The book is dual POV, but...also not? Out of forty-one chapters, thirty are in first person from Gemma's perspective, and the other eleven are shorter, third person views of Celeste. I think sometimes when you're reading a single POV story, you wonder what's going on in the other character's head (or at least I do), so to me it feels like we're getting Gemma's story with little glimpses of Celeste without it being truly dual POV. I know this might not be to everyone's tastes, but I found it really interesting.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.
The book is dual POV, but...also not? Out of forty-one chapters, thirty are in first person from Gemma's perspective, and the other eleven are shorter, third person views of Celeste. I think sometimes when you're reading a single POV story, you wonder what's going on in the other character's head (or at least I do), so to me it feels like we're getting Gemma's story with little glimpses of Celeste without it being truly dual POV. I know this might not be to everyone's tastes, but I found it really interesting.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to @readforeverpub for the gifted e-ARC and to @hachetteaudio for the ALC!
This sweet and spicy sapphic romance made me want to run away to San Francisco. Gemma and Celeste were adorable together. Former lovers thrown together on a work project, they spend their days interviewing couples to find out what makes their relationships work.
Slowly they begin to work through the reasons their college relationship failed. And they find healing and acceptance. Their care for each other is so sweet despite the spicy scenes.
I appreciated the dual narration with separate actors for both main characters. I thought both of them did an excellent job bringing out the tension between their characters.
If you’re looking for a quick sweet sapphic read, this one is for you!
This sweet and spicy sapphic romance made me want to run away to San Francisco. Gemma and Celeste were adorable together. Former lovers thrown together on a work project, they spend their days interviewing couples to find out what makes their relationships work.
Slowly they begin to work through the reasons their college relationship failed. And they find healing and acceptance. Their care for each other is so sweet despite the spicy scenes.
I appreciated the dual narration with separate actors for both main characters. I thought both of them did an excellent job bringing out the tension between their characters.
If you’re looking for a quick sweet sapphic read, this one is for you!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️
Spice Level: Open Door
Gemma is a love advice columnist who is set to work on a project with a world renowned photographer. Gemma is shocked to find out that the world renowned photographer is the woman who left her almost a decade ago, Celeste. The time they spend on the article, photographing and interviewing couples who have been married for various amounts of time, they explore the time they had together and what could have been. Are they able to recreate the love in front of them or will history repeat itself?
This review is a little difficult for me because I listened to this book. I feel that if I would have read the book instead of listened to it, my rating would be a little different. Storywise, it gave me what I wanted. Characters pining after one another and that one thing holding them back that may or may not pay off in the end.
Where it lacked for me was in the narration. Natalie Naudus read for Gemma and Catherine Ho read for Celeste. Natalie was lively and gave a lot of inflection in her voice with different moods for Gemma. The same was not done for Celeste with Catherine Ho. I almost dreaded Celeste chapters because they were really slow and so monone, honestly a little hard to get through. These are my own opinions so others may disagree but for me, I would rather read this than listen to it.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a review of the audiobook.
This was such a cute, second chance, sapphic story. I think Gemma and Celeste were definitely supposed to find each other again so many years later. The first time they dated was a right person, wrong timing kind of thing. But the way they're reunited and are almost forced to work together and reconnect made my heart happy.
I didn't love the way Celeste handled the original break up. I get that she was stressed and preoccupied but there's no way she just "forgot" to tell Gemma what was going on and just went no contact for no reason. And then to get upset when she found out Gemma had moved on and was dating a man also didn't seem fair. I think this could have maybe gone in a different direction but I understand why it was part of the story.
This was such a cute, second chance, sapphic story. I think Gemma and Celeste were definitely supposed to find each other again so many years later. The first time they dated was a right person, wrong timing kind of thing. But the way they're reunited and are almost forced to work together and reconnect made my heart happy.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I took one look at this cover and knew I wanted to listen. Add in Natalie Naudus performing, and I was sold. I love Natalie's voice, and she did not disappoint. She was the perfect Gemma. She performs the bulk of the book and it was engaging, each character is distinctive. Catherine Ho was a new voice for me, and I did enjoy her performance of Celeste, although it was only a handful of chapters. At times, I did feel like she sounded a little older than the character was supposed to be, but otherwise, a solid and enjoyable performance. I'll definitely look out for more from her.
This is a second chance, started off as roommates, sapphic romance, and it does not disappoint. Gemma is bisexual, and I loved how that was represented in this story, as well as the Korean cultural representation. We really get immersed in Gemma and Celeste's world and it was a joy. Celeste did frustrate me a little towards the end, as her actions and her words/ thoughts seemed to be a contradiction. However, the only real issue was that Celeste's chapters, although sparse, were in third person, whereas Gemma's were in first, and there wasn't really an indication as to why and it didn't feel necessary—especially in audio—and did take me out of the story a little.
This is a second chance, started off as roommates, sapphic romance, and it does not disappoint. Gemma is bisexual, and I loved how that was represented in this story, as well as the Korean cultural representation. We really get immersed in Gemma and Celeste's world and it was a joy. Celeste did frustrate me a little towards the end, as her actions and her words/ thoughts seemed to be a contradiction. However, the only real issue was that Celeste's chapters, although sparse, were in third person, whereas Gemma's were in first, and there wasn't really an indication as to why and it didn't feel necessary—especially in audio—and did take me out of the story a little.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Gemma is a bisexual woman in her late 20s who’s convinced real love doesn’t exist after the abrupt ending of her 7 year long relationship with her fiancé. She was ready to give up until she ends up getting paired up with and old flame, Celeste from undergrad. They get paired up on a project on modern love and welp… we got forced proximity and second chance! It’s a cute sapphic romance. I love diverse characters, the sapphic + bi representation, and commentary on general cultural expectations and for queer folx. I will say the dual pov — one in first person and the other in third person was unnecessary. I would have been okay without Celeste’s chapter. It’s a low stakes romance story, if you’re looking for a light sapphic second chance romance with spice, it’s worth checking out.
This was a low stakes and cute sapphic read with Korean rep and a bi MC. I didn't find myself wanting to pick this one up a lot, but I slowly made my way through it. It was cute, although I don't know if it will stick with me.
I know romance books are predictable, but this one felt especially so, I think because the stakes were so low. Honestly, I would have liked to see more tension in the plot, perhaps in regards to the work project Gemma and Celeste were working on. I think most things worked themselves out too easily?? (Maybe I'm just in the mood for more angst right now???)
I also think Celeste's POV could have been either cut or given more balance. It felt like an odd choice to have her POV in third person and only included every 3-5 chapters. I felt like I could have skipped over all of her chapters and been left with the same information. I never really got to know Celeste as well as I did Gemma, which is a shame because they were both interesting characters.
Overall, if you want a light sapphic read with a bit of spice and Korean rep, you can give this one a try! Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts shared are my own!
I know romance books are predictable, but this one felt especially so, I think because the stakes were so low. Honestly, I would have liked to see more tension in the plot, perhaps in regards to the work project Gemma and Celeste were working on. I think most things worked themselves out too easily?? (Maybe I'm just in the mood for more angst right now???)
I also think Celeste's POV could have been either cut or given more balance. It felt like an odd choice to have her POV in third person and only included every 3-5 chapters. I felt like I could have skipped over all of her chapters and been left with the same information. I never really got to know Celeste as well as I did Gemma, which is a shame because they were both interesting characters.
Overall, if you want a light sapphic read with a bit of spice and Korean rep, you can give this one a try! Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts shared are my own!
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Love in Focus features Gemma and Celeste, college exs who are thrown back together for a work project. Realing from a recent breakup with her fiance of seven years, Gemma is woefully unprepared to deal with the feelings Celeste's return bring back.
This second chance romance is very cute and relatable. Delilah Green Doesn't Care is listed as a comp title and I think that is right on point. Celeste is obviously inspired by Delilah, a tall, dark-haired lesbian covered in tattoos and working as a free lance photographer. Thankfully, past that character description and the circumstances that bring the main characters together, the story goes on to build its own identity.
I love that this book touches on the topics of intersectionality and looks into deeper issues such as the lack of elder queers and lack of Queer representation in Korean culture.
I think the book was cute, but it's not something I'd read again.
This second chance romance is very cute and relatable. Delilah Green Doesn't Care is listed as a comp title and I think that is right on point. Celeste is obviously inspired by Delilah, a tall, dark-haired lesbian covered in tattoos and working as a free lance photographer. Thankfully, past that character description and the circumstances that bring the main characters together, the story goes on to build its own identity.
I love that this book touches on the topics of intersectionality and looks into deeper issues such as the lack of elder queers and lack of Queer representation in Korean culture.
I think the book was cute, but it's not something I'd read again.