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alechains 's review for:
Love in Focus
by Lyla Lee
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love in Focus was a sweet and cozy, sapphic second chance romance that follows two women on their late 20s. The two main characters are Gemma a relationship advice columnist and bisexual woman who's newly single after her relationship of seven years falls apart; and Celeste a renowned photographer and lesbian woman. Fate does what it usually does when it throws them together to work on a project about modern love that could potentially save Gemma's company.
The premise of the book was interesting from the get go even though second chance is not something I usually look for in my reads, however this was great. I liked that it followed the FMCs and their present lives and didn't mention the past more than the strictly necessary. The pace of the book was good and there was a good balance of plot and spice. I particularly loved the friendship between Gemma, Kiara and Val, they gave supportive friends/parents vibes. There was a lot of great BIPOC and Queer representation. However there were parts were some Korean dishes or costumes were mentioned and I got a bit lost because it's not something I know so some context would have been great.
Also, all the conversations about age felt a bit premature for characters that are just getting to their 30s, I feel like that's more of a conversation that people in their middle to late 30s have, not 29 year olds.
As for the audiobook, I very much enjoyed it. I think Natalie Naudus did a great job bringing Gemma to life, she fit her personality and depth really well. On the other hand, Catherine Ho as Celeste felt a bit weird and slow at times, I'm not sure why but I couldn't connect with her character completely. It could be because it was written in third person while Gemma's was in first but that's the author's decision so we can't fault her for that.
Overall, Love in Focus was a light and sweet story that you can read in one sitting. II liked it and would recommend it.
Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the Advanced Listener Copy.
Release date: May 27th 2025
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Story: ⭐⭐⭐.75
Audio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The premise of the book was interesting from the get go even though second chance is not something I usually look for in my reads, however this was great. I liked that it followed the FMCs and their present lives and didn't mention the past more than the strictly necessary. The pace of the book was good and there was a good balance of plot and spice. I particularly loved the friendship between Gemma, Kiara and Val, they gave supportive friends/parents vibes. There was a lot of great BIPOC and Queer representation. However there were parts were some Korean dishes or costumes were mentioned and I got a bit lost because it's not something I know so some context would have been great.
Also, all the conversations about age felt a bit premature for characters that are just getting to their 30s, I feel like that's more of a conversation that people in their middle to late 30s have, not 29 year olds.
As for the audiobook, I very much enjoyed it. I think Natalie Naudus did a great job bringing Gemma to life, she fit her personality and depth really well. On the other hand, Catherine Ho as Celeste felt a bit weird and slow at times, I'm not sure why but I couldn't connect with her character completely. It could be because it was written in third person while Gemma's was in first but that's the author's decision so we can't fault her for that.
Overall, Love in Focus was a light and sweet story that you can read in one sitting. II liked it and would recommend it.
Thank you Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the Advanced Listener Copy.
Release date: May 27th 2025
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Story: ⭐⭐⭐.75
Audio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐