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stardustandrockets 's review for:
Love in Focus
by Lyla Lee
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy. All opinions are my own.
I've only read one other book by Lyla Lee before this one, but she's quickly become a favorite author. Her writing is recognizable from her YA work while still being distinctly different in the adult romance genre. Her books are super cute and comforting and I'm glad her adul debut feels the same way. Despite the angst and emotions of the book, I'd definitely consider this a comfort read. I was rooting for Gemma and Celeste to get back together the entire book, but the will-they-won't-they of it all made for a great ride along the way.
My biggest complaint is Celeste's POV chapters being in a different tense than Gemma's. The first time we get her perspective it took me out a bit. It's jarring to go from 1st person to 3rd person on a character switch. I don't know the reasoning behind that choice, but I wish Celetse would have also been in 1st person. I also didn't like how Celeste always referred to Gemma as "my ex". "I can't stop thinking about my ex." "working with my ex..." etc. It got old fast. The ending also seemed rushed with time skips.
I still think it's worth the read, but if you know you may have issues with the tense switch between POVs, maybe skip it.
I've only read one other book by Lyla Lee before this one, but she's quickly become a favorite author. Her writing is recognizable from her YA work while still being distinctly different in the adult romance genre. Her books are super cute and comforting and I'm glad her adul debut feels the same way. Despite the angst and emotions of the book, I'd definitely consider this a comfort read. I was rooting for Gemma and Celeste to get back together the entire book, but the will-they-won't-they of it all made for a great ride along the way.
My biggest complaint is Celeste's POV chapters being in a different tense than Gemma's. The first time we get her perspective it took me out a bit. It's jarring to go from 1st person to 3rd person on a character switch. I don't know the reasoning behind that choice, but I wish Celetse would have also been in 1st person. I also didn't like how Celeste always referred to Gemma as "my ex". "I can't stop thinking about my ex." "working with my ex..." etc. It got old fast. The ending also seemed rushed with time skips.
I still think it's worth the read, but if you know you may have issues with the tense switch between POVs, maybe skip it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Abandonment, Classism