Review by Booklist Review
Eddings (The Plus One, 2023) delivers another unique and refreshing romance, accurately representing neurodiversity in her signature comical and charming style. This sapphic romance brings together two very different women. Opal is an anxious overthinker who is down on her luck. After winning the lottery, she decides to buy a failing flower farm in the Appalachian Mountains. But when she arrives, she encounters the grumpy and set-in-her-ways Pepper, who works on the farm and whose grandmother built it from the ground up. Opal is a people pleaser, and the two strike up an agreement to be roommates. They soon discover that Opal is the flower to Pepper's thorns, and they butt heads at every turn. Yet, over time, they realize that perhaps opposites do attract, and their love blossoms in this slow-burning yet spicy romance. The beautiful rural setting and infusion of floral symbolism elevate Late Bloomer to another level, and readers who desire a low-stakes, low-angst read will enjoy cozying up with this book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Eddings (The Plus One) marries laugh out loud humor with sweet romance in this sexy standalone. When Opal Devlin wins the lottery, she has big dreams of a "fresh start" as an artist and uses most of her winnings to buy Thistle and Bloom flower farm to serve as her home and studio. When she arrives on the property, however, she faces an obstacle in the form of Pepper Boden, who believes the farm to be rightfully hers. Pepper's sure her Grandma Lou's will named her as the inheritor--but with the document missing, her mother sold the farm out from under her. Pepper and Opal decide to be roommates, and though they clash at first, they gradually come together in a gentle enemies-to-lovers arc that proves their differences make them all the more compatible. Both strong-willed, neurodivergent, and bisexual, the heroines are sure to charm. Their main stumbling block is their determination not to involve feelings in a roommates with benefits arrangement, which, while somewhat unbelievable, is good tropey fun. The silliness and levity perfectly balances the plot's more serious elements, with a memorable hair dye mishap providing some especially good guffaws. Readers will luxuriate in the loving bond these women build together. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callahan, Handspun Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
An artist and a reclusive flower farmer learn to trust each other and start over again in Eddings's (The Plus One) latest. Opal is an art-school dropout with a dead-end job and a string of bad friends and worse exes. When she wins the lottery, she sees the chance to start over on a flower farm in in Asheville, NC, and make a business out of her art. Through a twist of fate and a series of impulsive decisions, she finds herself cohabiting with Pepper, a prickly flower farmer struggling to make ends meet after the death of her grandmother. Despite their clashing personalities and deep insecurities, the two soon find themselves drawn to one another and will have to work together to turn their dreams into reality. This is an engaging sapphic romance about two people who have a history of being taken advantage of and must learn to trust each other. Eddings brings a light and optimistic touch to characters dealing with substance addiction, grief, and the downsides of neurodivergence. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary queer romance, meet-cutes, and rural settings.--Sierra Wilson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
After she wins the lottery, a woman's spontaneous purchase of a flower farm lands her a surprise roommate, too. Opal Devlin is known for being a people-pleaser, the type of woman who will do any favor a friend asks of her. When she unexpectedly wins the lottery, her phone starts blowing up with long-lost connections trying to get a piece of the pie--and making her wish she could get away from it all. When she finds an ad for a flower farm for sale in Asheville, North Carolina, it seems like the perfect solution to her problems. She buys Thistle and Bloom convinced she's making the right decision for her future, not only acquiring a place to get away from the demands on her time and wallet but giving herself the space to pursue the full-time art career she's always wanted. The biggest wrench in her plan? Thistle and Bloom already has an occupant: Pepper Boden has been keeping the farm afloat since her grandmother died, and she thought she owned the place--until her estranged mother sold it out from under her. Although Opal and Pepper hardly get off on the right foot, they agree to cohabitate until they can figure out who's moving where. While Opal wants to use the farm as a backdrop for her painting business, she knows she needs Pepper's knowledge and skill with flowers to ensure Thistle and Bloom keeps turning a profit. Living under the same leaky roof has its complications, however, not least of which is the women's budding interest in one another, and their forced proximity leads to several delightful scenarios. Eddings' latest romance is evidence of the author's own blossoming, as she uses Opal's and Pepper's individual struggles and stark personality differences to explore important discussions about mental health and neurodivergence that don't feel out of place. The characters have easily distinguishable voices, and their alternating perspectives offer a deeper look into this endearing, emotional love story. Opposites attract in this sweet Sapphic romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
