I completely forgot to post this review even though it’s been ready for ever.

I listened to Late Bloomer while the SMP boycott was happening and I hadn’t realised who the publisher was. All I’d seen was a Jenifer Prince cover and a narration by Ellie Gossage, both of which are instabuy for me. I’ve been trying to figure out whether the boycott is still on and I think it’s not, so here’s the review at last.

The story is pretty basic, with a lot of miscommunication. The MCs are endearing if a tad annoying at times, their feelings are warm and plausible, and I loved Ellie Gossage’s narration—as usual.

I don’t believe in ratings much, as I’ve mentioned several times, but since they’re necessary, I’d have probably rated this audiobook 3.5 stars (the narration deserves much better) if the neurodivergent representation wasn’t so good. That’s what makes the book for me. Opal is ADHD, Pepper is autistic, and everything about these aspects of them was perfection: the way they behave, the way they feel, the way they relate to others and each other, the overwhelm, the joy, the emotions… Even the lack of communication kinda made sense in that regard.

Experience Late Bloomer:

Libro.fm (audiobook)

Bookshop.org (paperback – ebook)

Kobo (audiobook – ebook)

Amazon (audiobook – paperback)

Allstora (paperback)

This post contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on this blog at no additional cost to you.