mustreadsapphic 's review for:

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee

3.0

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (imprint of Grand Central Publishing) for the free copy of Love in Focus. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

✨ Sapphic Adult Romance

✨ Dual POV, First & Third Person

✨ 3/5 Spice Level

✨ Second Chance

✨ Forced Proximity

✨ Standalone

✨ Rep: Korean MCs, non-binary SC, bisexual MC, lesbian MC

> micro-tropes and content warnings after review

I have some mixed feelings on this book. On one hand I really appreciated the representation with two South Korean main characters (along with rep from side characters). However, this book is written in both first person (Gemma) and third person (Celeste). I’ve read books before where that worked, but I’m not sure it works the best in the romance genre. I felt like I got to know and understand Gemma well, but I didn’t get that same opportunity with Celeste. It was more challenging to understand where she was coming from. She almost felt like a caricature rather than a fully fleshed out character. There was a statement made at the end of the first chapter of Celeste’s POV that felt stereotypical (in a bad way). I  wonder if it was supposed to just be this silly offhand remark, but it didn’t sit well with me. I liked Gemma, I liked her friends, I liked the project Gemma and Celeste were working on which had a good message. I struggled with the characterization of Celeste though.

Additionally, while the beginning of the book had good pacing, the end of the book felt rushed in some ways. I didn’t really find myself rooting for them in the end. I think this book could have benefited from having both POVs in first person as well as some extra pages to flesh out Celeste and pace the story better. Overall, I was left wanting more.

(beware potential spoilers below)

Micro-tropes

✨ Ghosted

✨ Friends with Benefits

✨ Eating out (for the first time)

✨ The one who got away

✨ Undeniable chemistry

Content Warnings

(may not be all inclusive)

ended engagement, cheating (not between MCs), homophobia, cultural expectations