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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic friendship, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
I have so many thought on this book and i dont know if i'll be able to fit them into a review, but i'll try!!
i was like... scared... going into this because as an aroace person i tend to avoid books with smut, but i wanted to give this one a chance (mostly because it also had neurodivergent representation. if it didn't, i doubt i would have read it. i did skip through most of the sex scenes, so i am not the one to ask how well those were written)
while i have seen a lot of mixed reviews, i liked it a lot. not a favorite, but it was good. the writing was kind of silly at times, and usually i don't mind that, but i swear every time i read the words "opal giggles" i physically cringed. i dont mind a giggle every once in a while, but replacing most of them with "laughs" literally wouldn't have changed a thing except my opinion on it.
there were a lot of moments i really loved, and some moments i didn't care about, and even a few that made me uncomfortable.this might just be a me thing, but the amount of times they went from a very emotional conversation to literally ripping each others clothes off was ... weird ??? again, i'm asexual, i might just not get it, but it felt really unnecessary most of the time.
i've seen a lot of people absolutely hate the third act "breakup" but i honestly think it was done pretty well. like they're human, they're going to make mistakes and hurt each other and have miscommunications (especially as neurodivergent people who are complete opposite of each other), but they pretty easily came back from it. although i was about to yell JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!!! for a moment
i related so much to both of the girls that it's actually not fair, and some quotes had me BAWLING.Opal and her need for stimuli, her fear of being too much, her guilt after making a mistake. - Pepper's relationship with her mom and her distrust of peoples intentions, her fear of allowing herself to love, it all hit a little too close to home.
i was like... scared... going into this because as an aroace person i tend to avoid books with smut, but i wanted to give this one a chance (mostly because it also had neurodivergent representation. if it didn't, i doubt i would have read it. i did skip through most of the sex scenes, so i am not the one to ask how well those were written)
while i have seen a lot of mixed reviews, i liked it a lot. not a favorite, but it was good. the writing was kind of silly at times, and usually i don't mind that, but i swear every time i read the words "opal giggles" i physically cringed. i dont mind a giggle every once in a while, but replacing most of them with "laughs" literally wouldn't have changed a thing except my opinion on it.
there were a lot of moments i really loved, and some moments i didn't care about, and even a few that made me uncomfortable.
i related so much to both of the girls that it's actually not fair, and some quotes had me BAWLING.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Great premise, solid prose, generally fun shenanigans, but the characters let this one down for me. I loved Pepper, a great grumpy character whose journey to trusting and opening up is well-drawn and believable, but Opal was hard for me to get a bead on. I enjoyed getting introduced to Opal the sad pushover who needed a nudge to break out of her rut in the first few chapters, but she didn't seem closely related to loud, brash, adventurous Opal who shows up in Pepper's life and forces her out of her comfort zone. There's a specific moment where Opal resolves to become a part of Pepper's friend group through sheer determination, about a hundred pages after Opal expresses that she has a huge amount of trouble making friends, which is why she's perpetually lonely and surrounded by toxic assholes like Laney and Miles. Which is it? I didn't understand when or how she got over the perception of herself as unlikable and needing to settle, which seemed like it would be her major challenge as a character.
This inconsistency carries through to the end, where timid self-loathing Opal is suddenly back just in time to suddenly withdraw from Pepper after frantically reaching out for most of the book. I found Pepper's response to their final challenges a convincing and compelling part of her arc, and couldn't get a read on why Opal was acting the way she did. I wonder if Eddings feels close to Opal and put a lot of herself into the character; from my own writing, I think that can sometimes paradoxically lead to a character who feels like a cipher, since we all contain such multitudes.
This inconsistency carries through to the end, where timid self-loathing Opal is suddenly back just in time to suddenly withdraw from Pepper after frantically reaching out for most of the book. I found Pepper's response to their final challenges a convincing and compelling part of her arc, and couldn't get a read on why Opal was acting the way she did. I wonder if Eddings feels close to Opal and put a lot of herself into the character; from my own writing, I think that can sometimes paradoxically lead to a character who feels like a cipher, since we all contain such multitudes.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
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:
N/A
Related to the characters a ton!
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book had been on my shelves a little while and I was waiting for the perfect moment to read it, but it just ended up being a bit of a disappointment…
A lot of things annoyed me about this book; the self-depreciation, the people pleasing, the complete 180 in personality during sex scenes, the dual pov (whyyyy), the completely random fights that get made up on the next page, thethird act-ish break up , the miscommunication . The one thing I did enjoy was the autism/adhd representation (even though that was a bit on the nose sometimes) and the setting, but I honestly had higher hopes for this…
A lot of things annoyed me about this book; the self-depreciation, the people pleasing, the complete 180 in personality during sex scenes, the dual pov (whyyyy), the completely random fights that get made up on the next page, the
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved everything about this book — from the first page, it had me completely hooked.
Late Bloomer is a gentle, beautifully written sapphic romance that feels like watching spring arrive after a long winter. The pacing is unhurried, but every moment counts, and each chapter draws you deeper into both the romance and the protagonist’s personal growth.
Our main character’s journey is heartfelt and relatable — moving from uncertainty and self-doubt into confidence and joy. The romance is tender and grounded, built on trust, shared laughter, and the quiet magic of simply being known. The love interest is steady, compassionate, and refreshingly real, making their connection all the more believable.
The atmosphere is one of my favorite parts: lush sensory details, cozy settings, and the comforting rhythm of everyday life. This is a story that celebrates small victories and the beauty of taking your time — in love, in healing, in becoming yourself.
By the end, I didn’t just want more… I needed more. This was a five-star read for me, and one I’ll be recommending to anyone who loves romance that blooms slowly but fully.