4.25⭐️ 2🌶️

This was such a cute sapphic 2nd chance romance!
Gemma is a bisexual relationship advice columnist at a magazine, who is suddenly broken up with by her male fiancé of 7 years. Celeste is a world renowned photographer who happens to be Gemma’s college ex. When Celeste gets chosen to work with Gemma on a project for the magazine called “Love in Focus” neither one of them is sure how things will pan out.

I absolutely loved the way the main characters grew from their original relationship in college, through meeting each other again by chance through work and eventually falling back in love, with many ups and downs along the way. The book has wonderful representation of all different relationships, genders and orientations are explored through the project the main characters take on for work which adds a cool layer to the story.
The side characters were fabulous and I loved their personalities too. I’ll definitely be reading more from Lyla Lee

Loved this book! It was such a cute fun read.

Second chance forced proximity sapphic romance.

I loved the Asian representation also and how it touched on important topics such as grief, race, family relationships, finding yourself.

“Love in Focus” was fine, nothing groundbreaking but not bad either. The story was pretty slow, mostly revolving around work and the main characters getting closer to each other again. I liked Gemma and enjoyed following her journey as she explored her identity, career, and what happiness looks like for her after her longterm relationship ended. The subplot with her ex dragged a bit and he seemed a bit too cartoonishly “evil” to me, but his behaviour made it easy to hate on him alongside with Gemma.

Celeste didn’t really work for me as a love interest, she felt closed-off and the lack of communication after the first breakup was a bit frustrating. The spice was there, but it didn’t land emotionally for me. I really appreciated the queer friend group with the found family vibes though and the Korean/Korean-American representation added nice depth.

Love in Focus is a queer romance following a recently broken up with love advice columnist who ends up reconnecting with her ex-girlfriend when she is hired as the photographer for one of her pieces. It’s a cute, feel-good romances with many moments reflecting on happy queer relationships and cultural relations. I had a good time reading Love in Focus, but I was sadly not a fan of the way the writing style switched in Celeste’s POV, it threw me off a little bit. At times, i was also missing the build up of tension that is my favourite part of reading romance novels but both of those things are personal preference. If you’re looking for a queer romance, do pick this up.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I've been seeing the author advertise this all over booktok so when I saw it was an ARC on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to apply for it. Friends, I really enjoyed this book. I'm not gonna lie, before reading this I had DNF'd a different queer contemporary romance and started to think that maybe the genre was not for me... And then Lyla brought me right back. This book was such a fun read for me and I found myself giggling and kicking my feet throughout. I was shocked to see myself enjoying a book with so much open door romance in it as well as usually I'm not one for spice, but for this one all of the spice was perfect, and loving, and so real for the sapphic experience that even I found myself blushing and cheering it on. I really love found family and female friendship within books and this one sure did have a lot in there. I think this book also taught me how important it is to see POC represented in queer romances and how little we do actually see them within even modern main media. I will say, the only downside I had with this book was even though it was dual POV, which I love, I found the jumping in between first and third person depending on who it was a little confusing at times, but honestly once I got into it I eventually got the hang of it. I will 100% be buying myself a copy of this book when it comes out, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a cute, funny, second chance queer romance to get stuck into.

Gemma & Celeste
Second Chance
Sapphic Romance
Forced Proximity
Columnist x Photographer

This book is such a cute, binge-worthy book!

I loved learning more about Gemma and Celeste, and seeing their chemistry!

Celeste's POV was written in 3rd person whereas Gemma's was 1st, which was a bit confusing and I didn't love Celeste's POV.

That being said, I did love the overall story!!

A sweet sapphic romance that captures the excitement of self-discovery and first love. The photography theme was a fun touch, and I adored the Korean-American rep.

this was such a cute and warm hearted book. i liked the realness of it all when it talks about the past not always being what we dream it to be, but also love. and then still we get the two of them meeting up later in life, which made everything worth it as surely these two deserved their second chance.
Gemma and Celeste were once in love. or so Gemma thought because Celeste just one day up and ended things.
i admit at first i was nervous because Celeste had ghosted Gemma. i didnt think this would ever be ok with me so was feeling a bit angst over Gemma could get through this. add to that she has just had the rug pulled from under by her now ex. ouch! but there was obviously and thankfully more to it of why Celeste suddenly ended thing and it really explained her own feelings around the issue. and how sweet it was to root for these two so much more. they'd been separate through lifes events. but they still shared that connection. and maybe more so now that they were grown,wiser and older.
i also love the diverse nature of the characters. this should never be an issue but it would be offensive to them to think or say it isnt. so until this just becomes norm i shall(if that ok) shout from the rooftops of books and authors that include diverse characters whatever form that might take because its so important.
Gemma tried to move on and so is with the man shes been with for years. oh that until she isnt. because out of the blue he also breaks up with her. Gemma is now heartbroken and tries to put herself straight into a big project at work. that where she finds herself in the way of Celeste all over again. the two have to work together. great. but now the two are together there is clear that spark. that energy and yes that love. they've got alot to explore together, alot to heal. can they do it. and if they do what next. they are both different people now not to mention living different lives. how would this ever work?
i was rooting for these two and speeding but not speeding to the end because i need to know if they would be ok. and if id be ok if they didnt end up together? could Lyla really do that to me?

This story unfortunately wasn't for me. I found it hard getting into the storyline and I feel so bad giving this a rating. I finished it but probably wouldn't pick it up again. This won't deter me from picking up other books by this author in the future.

Gemma has just been dumped by James, her fiance of 7 years, when Celeste, her ex from 8 years ago reappears in her life. Back in the day, she'd thought they were happy, until Celeste disappeared and moved back without Korea without a word. They haven't spoken to this day...

I was really excited for this one - it sounds right up my alley. But unfortunately, it just fell a bit short. The writing is good, but I didn't connect with either of the main characters or their relationship. I'm sorry, but </spoiler> I don't care what happens in your life. If you leave all your stuff at goodwill, take a flight and move back to Korea without letting your girlfriend/roommate ever know what happened, you're the bad guy and you should absolutely never get back together. You definitely don't get to be mad at your ex for moving on (not even touching the 'with a man' comment there). The moment they took equal blame for that and moved on, the book lost me. </spoiler> Apart from the main characters and the romance in this romance novel, I did quite like it, and I can see this being a 'right book, right time' for someone else. The side characters were fun, and the book shows really well what a different it can make to grow up without seeing yourself represented in the world, and how meaningful that can be. The writing is enjoyable and easy to follow, though it occasionally goes into overexplaining a bit. Also bonus points for having the characters taking the time they need near the end - I appreciated that bit of realism. For what it's worth, I would happily give this author another go if the description of a future book appeals to me.

Many thanks to Piatkus for letting me read a Netgalley eARC. All opinions are, of course, my own.

3.75/5

This was a really cute sapphic romance, I literally read it in 2 days! We follow Gemma and Celeste, two exes who have to work together for a project 8 years after they broke up.

I really enjoyed the writing and the dual POV, though I was not the biggest fan of switching between the 1st person POV for Gemma to 3rd person POV for Celeste. Both characters, but especially Gemma are so well rounded and actually act their age, which doesn’t always happen in romance books. It was so refreshing to see our two main characters have grown-up conversations about their relationship and their past. Throughout the book we also get to see Gemma explore more of her sexuality in a safe environment and it was written with so much care.

The representation in this book was great - seeing not only the couples from Celeste’s and Gemma’s work project but especially the queer Asian rep. As the couples in this book show, it is so important that we get more of it and I was crying right along Celeste during their last interview. I do want to highlight a quote from Celeste in the beginning of the book: “But nothing could mitigate the intense pain and betrayal Celeste felt when she’d finally managed to pull herself back to the surface, only to discover that Gemma had not only moved on, but she’d moved on with a man. A lesbian’s worst nightmare.” To me, this felt really out of place in this book and very belittling towards Gemma’s bisexuality.

If you are looking for a fast-paced yet cosy sapphic second-chance romance with characters who act their age, I’d recommend this book!

I definitely had conflicting feelings with this book, but overall it was enjoyable and I’ll never pass up an opportunity to devour a sapphic love story.

To start with the positive, I loved the plot. Gemma and Celeste have a complicated romantic history and have not had any contact in eight years, but their paths collide and they’re reunited when they both end up working on a project that sees the two interviewing and photographing different couples of all ages, sexualities and stages of life. This was really enjoyable, heartwarming, and at times emotional.

Despite always trying to avoid second-chance romances, I really enjoyed this one and I was rooting for them both immediately. There was also a third act break up, which I’m also typically a hater of, but I did like it here! There was also some really *hot* scenes with the two that I don’t think will be leaving my brain any time soon. I liked both Gemma and Celeste’s characters. They both have their flaws, of course, which are prominent throughout the story, but they’re both real. I loved the mixture of sapphic lore and Korean culture throughout, particularly prominently through Gemma’s POV. As for other characters we meet in their story, I loved Gemma’s friends Kiara and Val; they were incredibly supportive, real and well integrated throughout.

As for what I didn’t like, most of all was the differences in chapter perspective between Gemma and Celeste. Gemma’s chapters were first-person and definitely the more filling throughout the book, whereas Celeste’s chapters were third-person and both shorter in length and less frequent, which left her perspective feeling quite lacking and closed off. I would’ve loved her chapters to have also been first-person and to have more of an insight into her inner monologue, her support system—like we got with Gemma’s friends, Kiara and Val, in Gemma’s chapters—and just her world in general.

I also grew a little frustrated when it came to the reasonings behind Gemma and Celeste’s previous separation. Whilst I understood and sympathised with Celeste’s mum being sick and her needing to return home to take care of her, she completely ghosted Gemma, cut her off entirely and refused every attempt Gemma made at the time to reach out, and whilst I do understand how grief and the fear of sick loved ones can lead to isolation, I felt like it was quite unfair that Celeste seemed to continually punish Gemma for eventually moving on (though four months was definitely pretty quick, I will admit). Though this was frustrating, I admit this does feel very reminiscent to how turbulent life and decisions are at the ripe young age of 21.
I didn’t like the subtle internalised biphobia from Celeste, with how she expresses her hurt for Gemma moving on quickly and puts emphasis on the fact that she’d moved on with a man, describing it as ‘A lesbian’s worst nightmare’. Whilst I understood this likely being a part of her processing the trauma in her life at the time, Celeste was perfectly aware of Gemma’s bisexuality, given that she was her bi-awakening and Gemma’s previous relationships were straight presenting. I would’ve liked if this was something that was unpacked either between the characters or through Celeste’s own growth in the story but it was never touched on.

Lastly, I hated James. Like hated. To the point I wanted to print a screenshot off everytime he was on page just to put it up on a dartboard and fling darts at it.

Overall I did enjoy this story and I will definitely be checking out the rest of Lyla Lee’s works. Thank you Little, Brown Book Group and Netgalley for this digital arc. This review is entirely my own.

I wanted to love this one and was excited to read it but it fell incredibly flat for me. I found it boring in story and bland on a line level – there was also a lot of overexplaining rather than leaving the reader to intuit what had happened. I found Celeste’s pov to be superflouous, the use of 3rd person making it more shallow. Unfortunately not for me.

DNF @ 33%

A cute and interesting premise, but I just could not look past the biphobic comment made, that was, according to other readers not challenged later on in the book, which is unfortunate.

Saying a “lesbians worst nightmare” is their bi ex moving on with a man is not it. This topic could have been explored in a more meaningful way by addressing the issue with this way of thinking, but to include it and not do that is a major oversight.

On top of this, the inclusion of a transphobic joke? WHY!?

A romcom second chance at love between Gemma and Celeste. Celeste was Gemma’s bi awakening whilst at college, they spend a bliss filled year of romance until Celeste just leaves everything and everyone behind to go back home to South Korea. Gemma hurt with no contact (well ghosted really) moves on and eight years later Gemma is a writer for a magazine, newly heartbroken but now is writing a feature on love that brings Celeste back into Gemma’s focus as the hired photographer. Does their love live on or has too much time passed to give them both their HEA.

This was an enjoyable easy read, great to see representation of Asian sapphics especially as the story is set in San Francisco. The story was dual POV but it is heavily set more to Gemma’s tone it would have been good to have had more of Celeste’s narratives as I felt she was the more complex character. This was a good read but being ghosted for 8 years I’m not sure you would have been as forgiving even with the known circumstances and there was a lot of going round in circles where maybe if they had just been open with each other may have saved some further prolonged heartbreak!

I would recommend this if you want a read that has great representation, spice, multiple POV, a rubbish ex, fantastic friends and the journey deeper into love then this cuteness is for you. I had the opportunity to read this and I thank NetGalley, the author and Hachette books. Give this a read from the 27th May onwards.

I read ‘Love in Focus’ by Lyla Lee and my final rating is 3.75 stars!

For anyone looking for a quick and digestible read this book is a really good option. It’s fast paced but I found it pretty easy to follow along, yes, even with Celeste dwelling on the end of her relationship a little longer than I would’ve liked. Apart from that, I really did enjoy her POV but I will admit I found myself gravitating to Gemma a lot more as a character, and I really found myself relating to her narrative voice. The chemistry is off the charts between these two and anyone whose first starting to get into sapphic reads will absolutely devour this one!

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for this e-Arc!

My Rating : ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
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A Sapphic second chance romance ? I was really excited for this book when I read it had Korean main characters, bisexual rep and forced workplace proximity romance!! This follows our main characters Gemma & Celeste, as they try to navigate their footing while also working together towards a career saving magazine piece that can change their lives.
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I really liked how the book starts, and the focus on the past and the present timelines for the characters and the story so we can get an idea of how the conflict happened and what the state of their emotions are.. BUT but but this book became the perfect example of how not to behave with your crush/loved ones. While I enjoyed a lot of things this book portrayed like : the reality of personal loss Changing you as a character, college love being pushed back to focus on family, even though you meet 'The One' it's not always easy to fall back into old routine, taking the time for yourself first before thinking about others, Self love more than being loved... I was also mad at how easily the main characters played the blame game and pushed the focus on the other without actually understanding, owning up and apologizing for their own mistakes. I get that each had their own reasons to be selfish and pick their own sanity first, but omg the miscommunication in this book drove me mad. I'm so confused with this book. I liked it enough to rate it, but disliked certain parts enough to rant. So take my words with a grain of salt if you can okay??
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Thank you so much Forever Books & Netgalley for the gifted e-arc !
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<b> first impression </b>
I binged this in 2 days.. While the characters had their annoying moments, I was still invested enough to finish the book! I have confusing thoughts...
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<b> Favourite Lines from the book </b>
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<i> ‘Man makes plans, and God laughs.’We have no idea what’s going to happen in life, and even when we think we have it all figured out, everything can come crashing down, anyway. The best we can do is roll with the punches and stop blaming ourselves whenever something goes wrong. </i>
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<i> “Just because people like me, doesn’t necessarily mean I like them back.” </i>
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<i> “Everyone’s a little miserably awkward inside, regardless of how popular they are. Especially in college. Some people are just better at hiding it.”</i>

I struggled with the alternating POVs it felt like it made Celeste a tad underdeveloped and an afterthought. I think 1st or 3rd throughout would have helped the flow of the story better.

As for the rest of the story, I loved the queer asian representation, but the Gemma and Celeste were really hard to root for. I felt like James was way more of a main character than Celeste was at the beginning, and then just completely faded into the background. Celeste didn't feel like a prominent character, despite having her own POV, and I really think the whole approach to dating in this book was way younger than the actual age of the characters.

There was some smut, but it mostly came out of nowhere, with very little build up, and lacked true intimacy.

One of my biggest issues was the formatting of the book, which I hope is fixed before publication, because it made the reading experience on an e-reader really unpleasant.
Talking about the book itself, I found it lacking in several ways. The characters all felt a bit annoying and stereotypical. My biggest issue was how quickly in the plot the historical conflict between the love interest occurred, it felt very out of place and not at all realistic. I wanted a slower build for them to resolve the conflict.

I'm not a huge second chance fan, because to me, what they did that lead to a break-up is either way too bad to forgive with little groveling, or too stupid to have broken-up for in the first place. In this instance it was perfect, circumstances they could not control, being young and dumb, and most importantly bringing it up a soon as they can when they reconnect and talk about it like adults! It's been 8 years, they both apologize and said what they could've done better, and agree to move on. This is how it's done people! I can now comfortably watch these two fall back into love.

I mean sure they're still a little hurt and understandably reticent but it's so much better. I have a minor gripe with how while they're both still understandably holding onto baggage later in the boom, Celeste is insistent that Gem hurt her more, by moving on 4 months after being ghosted over night, and Gem totally agrees with that. As if she was supposed to stay forever waiting for someone who had disappeared and may not have even been alive. But while I don't agree, I am glad they still talk about things they're feeling, and go to therapy.

I loved both stories being told in this book. The relationship developing was sweet, but what really hit home for me was the article Gem and Celeste worked on together. Love throughout the ages and the answers, from the yes fictional couples, held a lot of weight to me. And I don't think the book would've meant as much without that aspect. I don't mean if you removed them worked on an article the plot wouldn't work, I meant I enjoyed seeing what love meant to different couples, how they kept their relationships, and "seeing" older queer folk. I would love to read that article if it were real.

The pacing was slow overall, which was fine, there weren't any moments of high drama or people gunning for either of them (her ex was a dick, but not a villain) so it felt more like meandering through Gem's year, especially in the latter half, but not in a way where I was skimming ahead to get the story moving. I do wish that more of that time had been taken to show who Gem and Celeste really were. I think without my appreciation of the Modern Love In Focus element, this would've been rated a star lower. They early had feeling for each other and were attracted to each other, but we didn't get to see them fall in love back then or now, or why for them it had to be each other.

It was also fun to ready more k¡nky sapphic smut, than most stories usually have. Both FMCs are just so adorably excited and into each other, I was expecting them to be strapped or into dirty talk.

I think this is a sweet story that was well written, and a good time for anyone wanting to enjoy a cosy queer romance.