Thank you so, so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

This book absolutely stole my heart. I fell in love with these characters and everything about this adorable romance. This love story is quiet and soft but so powerful and beautiful.

I know cooking/baking romances are all the rage right now, but I personally not super into cooking/baking competitions so I've been avoiding the trend. But I'm so glad I read this one! The setting in here was fun and relevant but didn't take over the story. I felt like there was the perfect amount of time spent in the competition without it distracting from the romance.

I love both of the main characters so much. They're flawed and frustrating at times (like real life people) but I was rooting for them from start to finish. And I really appreciated that they both went on personal journeys as well.

London is dealing with a lot of familial drama, especially with their father. There are so many heartbreaking and difficult discussions surrounding transphobia in here so definitely tread carefully. But I loved how everything was discussed so much.

And Delilah so relatable. She's a little lost and unsure of herself which I think a lot of millennials will be able to see themselves in. And one of my absolute favorite things about her was her desire and insistence to save and take care of herself. I thought that was such a beautiful addition to her character arc.

The romance itself stole me whole heart. While I love romances with electric chemistry and loads of tension, I personally don't relate to that kind of romance. So it was so flipping beautiful to read about a quiet, soft love. These character care so deeply for each other. They're considerate and careful and always checking in with each other. They communicate (with a few hiccups of course) and I just loved watching them slowly open up and fall for each other.

I just loved absolutely everything about this. The characters, the discussions and themes, the romance, the setting. It just all worked. I can't wait to read more from Anita Kelly in the future!

I enjoyed this book, it’s a sweet romance. I was initially attracted by the cooking show premise, and once I started reading I was drawn in by the characters.

Dahlia is queer, divorced and running out of money. Winning the tv show “Chef’s Special” would change everything for her. She’s taking the opportunity to look at herself and make changes, she’s decided to be “LA Dahlia” and take some chances doing new things.

London is transgender and announces their pronouns to the world on the show. They want to win the show to start a program for trans teenagers, but has to deal with prejudice from other cast members
and their growing attraction to Dahlia, who is extremely distracting.

As the show progresses, Dahlia and London get closer and give into their mutual attraction in some steamy scenes.
How will they handle their relationship while competing on a tv show? What happens when one of them is eliminated, and what happens when the show ends?

The book is so well written and the characters are true to life. She did an outstanding job detailing the prejudices, misgendering, and other issues that London faces as a non-binary contestant. I highly recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a fun read and I loved both characters so much! This is a sunshine and grump trope which is one of my favorites!! We follow Dahlia who is recently divorced and trying to move on with her life when she gets picked for a cooking competition show. Her first day on set she meets London and the two have a memorable meet cute! London is picked for the show and just wants to keep their head down and win the show so they can start a non-profit to help LGBTQ+ kids in their home town. I loved the journey of the relationship and what each one has to go through to get to the point were they can be happy. I also loved the description of the food and cooking, I always enjoy reading about that in my books. If you are looking for romances that follow diverse characters than I would highly recommend picking this one up, it has bi rep and a nonbinary character. Thank you Forever for my gifted copy for review!!

This a debut novel for Anita Kelly (they have some novellas previously released) and my first one of hers I read. Overall, it is a lovely romcom where a lot of things worked great for me, but I still had some issues here and there.

This is a f/nb romance and it is not my place to comment on the non-binary rep, I can comment on what I liked/disliked about them as a romance character. I did like lot about London - their insecurities, their grumpiness. They came off as aloof and somewhat cold but we also see them being passionate about the things they cared about. They loved their family and this cause some major conflict regarding their acceptance for who they are. They were also passionate about cooking, their dream to make music. And Dahlia!

Dalhia was messed, recently divorced, almost broke, pinning all her dreams and hope on winning the cooking show. I appreciate that she wanted to follow her dreams and she left her marriage when she realised her husband and her have different dreams. At the same time she also read immature to me, whiny, her constant I-don't-know-what-I-want mood was annoying. I wanted her to go for the things that made her happy and not complain so much about the difficulties in her life.

I really liked the romance, there is great chemistry between the MCs, lot of open discussion of body image, desire, sexuality, explicit consent. At the same time I had some issues. On the one hand the way London sexualised Dahlia all the time made me uncomfortable, it was on the verge of creepy, especially in the beginning when the two of them were not a couple yet. London acted like a macho alpha romance hero when it came to Dahlia and I was not a fan of that. There are explicit sex scenes in this book which I mostly liked but the one involving the use of fruits in the bedroom was weird and didn't work for me at all.

There was not a lot of conflict regarding the romance, the focus was more of families, personal goals in life and that was OK. There was a third-act break up which could have been handled better but I just went it.

The cooking show was fun, presented in its complexity, lot of diverse participants, we get to see some of the behind-the-scene actions that is not very glamorous.

All in all, this is an interesting debut with a good balance of funny and serious, still it is far from perfect.

CW: transphobia, misgendering, social anxiety, family rejection

Do you love cooking shows? Are you a chaotic Queer with a soft spot for feels? Then is this the book for you! Love & Other Disasters had me hooked from the first line. It is so utterly sweet, and charming, and soft, and silly, and steamy, and oh, did I mention delicious?

Dahlia decides to take a chance with her future and signs up for a popular reality cooking competition. What she doesn’t expect is to promptly fall flat on her face in the first episode and catch the attention of London, who has just announced their pronouns on national television. London doesn’t need to be distracted by the adorable woman at the bench in front of them, they have enough issues dealing with trolls, a certain fellow constant, and their dad. But then, feelings never really care much for plans, do they?

OMG do I love this book!! As rural, queer person, London makes me over the moon happy by the simple fact of existing on the page. And their relationship with Dahlia going from acquaintances to friends to lovers? It’s the sweetest!

Kelly also deals with tough topics in a refreshing and honest way, and I did really appreciate how misgendering scenes were done with actually misgendering London on page. There was also a very important storyline where London was pitted against the competitor who kept misgendering them and I found it brought in a focus on performative allyship that was very well done.

Love and Other Disasters is fun, sexy, and shamelessly human - I adored it and want to hug it with all I can!
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One more note: THIS COVER!! I MEAN, IT’S SO STINKING CUTE I LOVE IT SO MUCH !!

I’m an avid reader of romance these days, but it’s been awhile since I’ve fallen head over heels so quickly for a couple of love interests! I absolutely loved everything about Dahlia and London’s story, including that the book highlighted their individual growth as well as the character development within their relationship. They were fully realized characters with depth, and backstories that stood on their own. I feel like that can sometimes make a romance stronger, and make you feel more invested in their lives as both a couple and as individual people.

It was so fun to read about the mutual pining and longing between them at their workstations at Chef’s Table. I watch a lot of cooking and baking shows, and it felt realistic to those familiar competitions - only with the twist of being able to see a love story unfold between two of the contestants. It was so sweet how much they rooted for each other and genuinely admired each other’s talents as chefs. There was also that protectiveness from Dahlia’s POV, of wanting to fight back against any rudeness toward London’s identity as a non-binary person.

I appreciated reading a romance that featured a non-binary love interest, because I don’t believe I ever have before. Which is a shame! That’s something that should be normalized, and although there might be a number of such books that are perhaps lesser known, it’s something you don’t see in the mainstream nearly enough. London was such a lovable, real character, and I was rooting for them and Dahlia from the get-go.

It’s not often that I read a book and feel such undeniable joy every time I turn the page, excited to read what comes next because I know it will just make me love the characters and the story even more. But that’s exactly the experience I had with this one - I’ll be honest, I was fangirling pretty hard. Lots of happy squealing going on over here at certain moments.

This was such a fun, light read that I thoroughly enjoyed! It's so exciting to see nonbinary representation in romances!

Dahlia and London meet on a cooking competition show, each with something to prove. Dahlia is recently divorced, and cooking has become a comfort for her as she rediscovers herself. London is the first nonbinary contestant and is using the show as a platform to come out. They're hoping to win the money to start an LGBTQ+ non-profit.

I absolutely loved this book! The romance was very cute, and I absolutely loved their relationship.

A couple of specific things I loved:

This book treats London and their pronouns with such respect. They/them pronouns are used form Dahlia's perspective even before they've come out to her. When a character misgenders London, the book itself never does. Instead, the dialogue still uses "they" and explains that the transphobic character did not.

Explicit consent! Romance books rarely include consent in sex scenes, but even more than that, this book shows consent for a specific act not being given. I absolute love that this was included.

Overall this was a super cute read that I will definitely be recommending to friends.

I love romance books, and I love baking and cooking shows. When the two things combine, there is nothing better in this world!

Dahlia is going on the cooking competition, 'Chef's Special' (think similar to Master Chef) to try and find a new direction for her life. She is newly divorced, is in a lot of debt, and living in a city where she doesn't really have any friends or family. London is the first non-binary contestant on Chef's Special, and is nervous about how their father will react to their announcement on television, as he has refused to use their correct pronouns thus far. The two of them form a fast friendship, but that soon becomes more than either were looking for.

This book was a joy to read! The romance is wonderful, and the two of them together are so much fun! Dahlia and London have hysterical adventures while on the show, and the chemistry and steam between them is everything! There are so many things scenes in this book that I just want to go back and read over and over again, which is a great sign of a five star read for me.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic read! There were so many elements that I really loved about this book. This was the first book that I have read where one of the main characters was nonbinary and I really appreciated seeing their viewpoint. I also loved that it showed the struggle of coming out. I also found the other main character very relatable. I think many of us have those moments of insecurity about how our lives are going. This book had two very strong characters and made this book amazing. The setting of a cooking show was also really fun and felt well done. I have read many books with this setting, but this book was done in a way that was fresh and enjoyable. This was a great read and I highly recommend this to my fellow romance readers.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Forever for this ARC.

This book was such a delight. With the backdrop of a cooking show competition, each contestant had their own reasons for wanting to win.

Dahlia is recently divorced and has a lot of bills to pay to get back on her feet.

London wants to start a non-profit safe place for LGBTQIA+ kids. London wants to be open and provides their pronouns during the first cast meeting. One was not accepting but the others were, and finds an ally in Dahlia.

London wasn’t expecting to meet Dahlia and finding a connection with her.

Their friendship, including the walks to the hotel after filming gave an insight into both of their history. How they felt about each other. The tension was palpable and when they finally got together let’s just say the melon and whip cream will never be looked at the same!

Such a wonderful story of love acceptance, wanting be seen and having the correct pronounce be used, the struggles they had with family acceptance, and finding love in the most unexpected places.

2022 has been saved for me. LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS is the Messiah sent to me in my time of absolute need. It is so fricking good, the rep is fantastic, and I would die for Dahlia and London!

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting to. Dahlia and London were both great and from the beginning it was feeling like more of a slow burn, but I wanted more time with them having fun and enjoying each other before being thrust into what was a disappointing conflict. There was also some great detail in the beginning about the cooking show, the contestants, the challenges, and that disappeared in the second half where we were told about some of the results after the fact. Something I particularly enjoyed though was London’s story of coming out as nonbinary, the importance of representation, and setting boundaries with family members who don’t show respect for the person you are.

Love & Other Disasters is the kind of book you pick up and can’t put down. Anita Kelly had me laughing, crying, and feeling even more connected to my own queer relationship over the course of this book. It’s one of those books you stay up late to finish even when you’re tired. London and Dahlia are impeccably written characters and the honesty in figuring out who they are, as a couple and individually, was beautiful. And the Jeni’s Ice Cream mention was the very best 💛

This book was a breath of fresh air. I thoroughly enjoyed myself from cover to cover and found myself slowing down to savor it. This book tells the story of Dahlia and London who fall in love while competing on a cooking competition show. Dahlia is dealing with the aftermath of a divorce at age 28. London is navigating being out as non-binary publicly. The book is a true romance with the pair together on almost every page and focuses on their growth as a couple as well as individually.

I adored both Dahlia and London. They were both well rounded and felt like real people. I loved that the book included both moments of quiet sweetness as well as well as several very steamy scenes. There’s just something so special about having a queer book written by a queer author. I loved that London’s pronouns were they/them from the get-go and while them being mis-gendered was mentioned, it was never on the page. This is a book I can see myself returning to in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC and Forever for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dahlia is ready for a new version of herself - that’s why she finds herself as a contestant on the hit reality cooking show, Chef’s Special. After a run in on day one with London, a fellow contestant, Dahlia can’t stop thinking about them. Can Dahlia find out who she really is while also falling for London while also competing on reality TV?

I really enjoyed watching Dahlia and London’s relationship blossom. London is the first non-binary character I’ve read and I certainly hope they’re not the last! All in all this was a fun read - I just wish I had the recipe for Dahlia’s soup!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC!

EVERYONE NEEDS TO DROP EVERYTHING AND GO GET THIS BOOK!

Dahlia, a recently divorced copy editor, takes her chances on Chef's Special, a reality cooking show that she's loved for years. She wants to finally get her life right, and hopefully the prize money can help. Enter London Parker, a nonbinary chef from Nashville who is absolutely stricken by her. Together, they navigate the show, the messy relationships within the show, and their own. Will their love take the cake, or will it crumble under the pressure?

Okay I need to talk about the representation in this book. I can't tell you the last time I read (or if I have ever) a book with a nonbinary main character. London was a tad messy but I still loved them regardless. A lot of their experiences felt very real and the discussions they had with both Dahlia and their family were really well done! There was a whole talk about straight passing people using queer people as "experiments," as well as parental figures constantly misgendering their own children. Even at the end, London has a very important monologue moment with their father, and it made me tear up and cheer in pride for London for setting the bar for their relationship. Also, pansexual rep! Not something I see much of in stories and I love it.

Dahlia also has her own struggles with her sexuality, especially because she had no prior experience with dating someone who was queer or not cis. Her being able to explore that and also have that discussion with people later down the line was something I personally related to, even though Dahlia and I are completely different. Also, she just identifies as queer, and I don't think I've read a story with someone who purely identifies as queer, and I was absolutely here for it. Dahlia's brother is also trans and he was amazing.

This story also does an amazing job at highlighting media's role when it comes to LGBTQ+ people being "out" on shows or any form of media, really. It can completely agitate the scenario and make things worse with discrimination and hate speech, but it can also give voice to those who felt that they haven't been seen in media before, and let them know that their voice is heard and important.

The plot was simple and wasn't, in my opinion, too invested in the whole cooking competition aspect. It allowed actually for a lot of freedom outside of the show, where we see Dahlia and London have the best bonding time. I've read another book as an ARC, Where There's a Whisk, and it leaned too heavily on the scripted aspect of the show as well as basically dialoguing word for word what is said on the show. The author didn't do that, and instead it opened up the way for a lot of narrative choices and important moments between Dahlia and London.

I was hooked. I teared up. I was screaming and laughing and flustered throughout this entire book. Love & Other Disasters is fast-paced and absolutely loveable. This might be my new favorite romance and it's only a few days into 2022. PLEASE go get this book and support an amazing, queer author and story.

I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Forever Pub and Anita Kelly for the eARC of LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS!
Why hello queer romance that I didn’t know I needed in my life!

Y’all I LOVED this book. It was so cute and just made me so happy. And for some reason I was not expecting that level of steam (I think because the cover is so cute?!) but it was SO GOOD.

I love books about food and cooking so the setting of this one being a part of a cooking competition is what first intrigued me. I also have never read a book with a non-binary person as the main character and wanted to see this person fall in love and get an HEA. I loved London’s chapters and POV. I learned a lot about a non-binary person’s experience through this book. I see a lot more queer romance in my reading future!

London and Dahlia are messy and imperfect characters. They share their traumas with each other and the reader but the book isn’t about their trauma. Instead it’s about falling in love and growing as a person and adult outside of a relationship, finding and pursuing one’s passions.

I am a straight, cis-woman so I really encourage you to seek out Own Voices reviews from the queer community as well! Seriously, go read the Goodreads reviews for this one. And be sure to grab a copy for yourself when it comes out on January 18, 2022!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYmOT8FJY-F/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4216657104

Really enjoyed this book. One if not the first book I have read with a nonbinary character in the romance genre (sad but true). Anita Kelly makes you want to fall in love on a cooking show which before this book honestly sounded like a nightmare. Can't wait to read more of her books. Had non-binary rep and bi rep. Great also to get into the romance genre.

- To absolutely no one's surprise, welcome to my queer screaming about LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!
- Honestly, I don't even know if I can summarize everything I loved about this book. Grumpy/sunshine. Cooking competition. Self discovery and reinvention. Nonbinary representation. Characters gently taking care of each other and supporting each other through hard things.
- I love a romance novel that really digs into character backstories and growth, and LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS is one of the best examples of that I've ever read. Dahlia moving on from divorce. London dealing with their dad. And both of them learning more about themselves and each other as the story progresses.
- Also, I loved that even though some transphobia was part of London's story, they were never misgendered or deadnamed on the page. Their identity was taken seriously and as incontrovertible fact, not as something they needed to prove as part of coming out.

Love & Other Disasters follows London, the first openly nonbinary contestant on a long-time running and beloved American cooking show, and Dahlia, their clumsy competitor as they fall in love with each other on set. Both dealing with their own detrimental issues, neither comes on the show to find the love of their life—yet that’s exactly what ends up happening while they’re competing against each other.

What an affirming romcom this turned out to be! London and Dahlia proved to be such interesting characters. My favourite romances are those where I’m equally invested in both characters’ separate lives as I am in their romance and Kelly truly delivered.

On one side, we have London, who entered the cooking competition because they want to make a difference for nonbinary individuals like them with the prize money—and on top of that—being the first openly nonbinary contestant on the show. Anxious about trolls and haters, they’re having a hard time focusing which isn’t made any better when Dahlia quite literally stumbles into their arms and life. And then we have Dahlia, who’s struggling with her finances after a divorce that’s left her reeling in more ways than one. Completely recalibrating her life, she is in desperate need of that prize money to alleviate some of her debt—if only there wasn’t that annoying yet total dreamboat London occupying her thoughts.

What I think Kelly did exceptionally well was how they balanced the sweet romance between London and Dahlia with the more hard-hitting topics of gender identity, divorce and bankruptcy. While London has to deal with misgendering, not only from strangers but also from someone in their family (which, by the way, is one of the best-laid subplots I’ve ever read in my life), Dahlia has her own struggles with her past and her being queer that are dealt with with such a tender touch in this novel. There’s also a plethora of discussions of the future, anxiety of not being where you want to be in your life at a certain age, and transphobic comments online that makes you want to punch someone. Yet these topics are all discussed with a delicate hand that offers more insight on who London and Dahlia truly are instead of overshadowing their dreams and ambitions.

The romance between London and Dahlia is also so well done. Both characters bring dry humour, witty banter and a whole lot of heart to their romance and their back and forth as well as the obstacles in their way felt so real that I was actually aching because I wanted a happy ending for them. The pacing flows nicely and just when you think this is going to be a super fluffy romance, Kelly throws a curveball with downright steamy scenes to make you fan yourself. I also love how neither of them has to change themselves for the other—London loves Dahlia and her chaotic mess of a life, and Dahlia is head over heels for their dry humour and general no-bullshitting-allowed stance in life. There’s such a genuine connection between them that I’m sure readers will have no choice but to devour this novel in one sitting.

I also really enjoyed the cooking competition. In books with similar premises this year, I always felt like the cooking show was just a backdrop that was ignored about a third into the book, yet here, we get the whole competition perfectly interwoven with the romance between Dahlia and London. I loved getting to know the other contestants and even seeing how London and Dahlia had to think quick on their feet when challenges arose that they didn’t see coming.

All in all, this is such an addictive, affirming and uplifting queer romance read. I kind of want to throw this book at everyone who ever intentionally misgendered someone who is nonbinary and hold this up as an example of just how validating and important it is to listen to queer people. This debut makes me so excited to read more from Kelly in the future.

If you’re a fan of baking competitions, authentic queer representation and lush, tender yet steamy romances, then Kelly’s Love & Other Disasters is the perfect read for you!