title: Late Bloomer
author: Mazey Eddings
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
publication date: April 16, 2024
pages: 400
peppers: 3 (on this scale)
warnings: talk of drug use, mean parents, death of a grandparent (before the book)
summary: When Opal, who can't stop herself from helping others even when it's to her detriment, wins big on a scratch-off ticket, she decides to get a fresh start by buying, sight unseen, a flower farm she sees on a Facebook Marketplace ad. What could possibly go wrong? She arrives to find the farm's resident Pepper, who knew nothing of the sale and has no other place to go.
tropes:
- enemies-to-lovers
- mean mom
- scam victim
- over-giver
- one bed
- entering a competition
what I liked: these neurodiverse characters both have a hard time expressing what they want/feel, but they learn together in sweet ways. I like the fun friend group.
what I didn’t like: I found the mom too selfish to be believable.
overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)