I think this might be the first romance I’ve read with a non-binary main character, and I really enjoyed it. To be clear, I am a cisgender woman, so obviously I don’t know what it’s like, but what I read seemed very authentic and realistic. I’ll admit that Dahlia really rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat; there are a few comments from her at the bar in the beginning of the book with London that bothered me immensely. But London is a wonderful character, and I think the inclusion of people who are intolerant of their non-binary identity is important for the storyline. And the sex scenes have to be some of the best I’ve read as far as being a bit more realistic. For example, Dahlia asking London where on their body is it okay to touch, because as a non-binary person London would obviously have areas that they aren’t happy with and may not want touched or even looked at. No matter your gender identity I think this is definitely an important romance to read in order to either gain some different perspectives or to get some validation and inclusivity.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Anita Kelly is a new author to me and I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book as I typically do not read LGBTQ novels. However, Love & Other Disasters is a beautiful story of love and life. I loved the reality show cooking competition concept as it had me laughing out loud. There was a lot of humor and drama. The characters motivations and relationships completely blew me away. I enjoyed the relationship of the main characters and how they developed through the book. Overall, this was a good book!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A forward, progressive story that’s delightfully entertaining.

Very enjoyable read! Good representation of LGBTQ characters and good representation of a food show as well! The romance was really fun and occasionally pretty spicy as well. I’ll definitely be recommending this one!

This was the first time I’ve ever found a book with a non-binary main character, and I was absolutely thrilled. London and Dahlia are both such lovable characters, and so perfectly flawed. Despite the stardom scenario, the characters were so well written that the book felt totally realistic. They struggle with communication issues like any other couple and they came up with balanced and well-constructed solutions. The story never got so cheesy I couldn’t handle it, and I loved every second of learning about London and Dahlia’s little quirks, adventures, and their love for each other. I could read a thousand more books from this author. I would love a sequel!

Great non-binary rep in this Adult Contemporary romance! They even get their own Point Of View chapters. This book will appeal to Foodies, Romance readers, and the LGBTQIAP+ community.

Love & Other Disasters is queer nb/f opposites-attract deliciousness between London (charmingly grouchy yet squishy on the inside), and Dahlia (sweet and bubbly with hidden wounds), set during an immersive reality cooking competition show. The connection between these two characters is beautifully drawn, their vulnerabilities are very real, and their three-C's (chemistry, consent, and communication) is hot, hot, HOT. The main plot between London and Dahlia is served with two of my favorite sides: food as a love language and a lovable supporting cast. My only complaint about this book is that throughout most of it, I was torn about who I would root for if this were an actual competition show; I loved them both that much. 

Thanks NetGalley for the early read.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Queer love is beautiful love but I wish they would have branched out and not done so much of the stereotype roles stud/fem. But I did enjoy this book.

3 stars - I liked it

Recently divorced Dahlia Woodson is ready to find herself again and hopes being on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special will be a good start. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself attracted to a fellow contestant, London Parker.

This was a cute romance. Dahlia is struggling to find herself and determine what she wants to do with her life. I enjoyed Dahlia and her determination to embrace life. She really did everything she could to enjoy her time in California and determine what she does and doesn’t like. I loved her joy at small things, especially when they were with London. Their relationship was adorable and I loved seeing them being tourists and having fun.

London is the first openly nonbinary contestant on the show. They were insecure about their coming out but Dahlia and most of the contestants were supportive, but not all. I enjoyed their internal monologue. It was very cute watching them go from grump to outgoing, especially with Dahlia. Their anxiety and sadness over their family members misgendering was heartbreaking and I liked how they finally dealt with it.

Overall, this was a great LGBTQ romance. I enjoyed these two a lot. My only issue was with the lack of communication but it did help them both realize how much they felt about each other and wanted a life together. I look forward to reading more of Anita Kelly’s books.

Trigger warnings: misgendering by a contestants and by a family member

Rep: F/NB romance, bisexual MC, pansexual non-binary MC, secondary queer characters.

This was so lovely! I am such a sucker for any sort of book that incorporates cooking and baking and this one did it fairly well. Both Dahlia and London are fantastic main characters and I think having this book set in dual POVs and with third-person narration style was a very smart move. Not only do we get a non-binary main character but because of the fact that it's told in third person, we are constantly seeing the use of they them pronouns and that is just so vital and important for representation.

So this book takes place on the set of an American cooking show that gives vibes of Great British bake off but more competitive and less fun. All the contestants stay in town and they cook together in this big station set up similar to GBBO. Basically Dahlia is recently divorced and she is trying to figure out a passion for her life. She recently got into cooking and really loves it and so she entered this cooking show. On the first day she runs right into London, literally. This isn't an insta-love situation, it's more of a "oops I'm kind of annoyed with you turns into oh you're actually really cool turns into a oh shit I like you". Kind of deal.

London on the other hand has been cooking for ages and they are looking to win the competition to start a nonprofit for queer kids in Tennessee. This is a pretty big factor of the book and so that's why I'm mentioning it here. London essentially sets precedents and breaks records when they come out on national television during their solo interview as non-binary. Their mom and sisters are extremely supportive but their dad is not at all. There is some transphobic and homophobic language just as a content warning.

Anyway, they basically go through some challenges on the cooking show and both Dahlia and London's rooms are near each other in the hotel and they become friends and go on adventures and eventually start dating. Drama ensues as you can imagine, and things happen.

I read this book over the course of a little over a week and it took me longer than I thought it would but not necessarily because I wasn't invested. I just have been in a weird mental state lately and I kind of had to read other things in between. I think because of that I lost some of the details but I still really enjoyed this book.

I especially enjoyed all of the adventures that London and Dahlia had around LA and I wished there had been more cooking content. The actual scenes on the cooking show are very short and well I understand the not everyone would appreciate more detailed explanations, I think it would have added to the book.

Anyway, you should pre-order this book, it comes out in January and just live your best life with this adult rom-com with a bisexual woman and a pansexual non-binary person. Do it. You need it.

I only have positive things to say about this book. Dahlia Woodson and London Parker have each earned a spot of the reality cooking competition show Chef's Special. For both of them cooking is a place where they are in control of their lives. Dahlia is recently divorced, in debt and still not sure what she wants to do in her life. London Parker is pan sexual and came out as non-binary three years ago. The two strike a friendship and more while competing.

I love both characters. Their backgrounds, insecurities and family issues add richly to their stories. There is warmth, humor and thoughtfulness in their interactions. There is also heat and some angst as eventually only one person can win on the show. This book just left me feeling quietly happy. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic first queer love story set in Los Angeles. Dahlia has just divorced and is trying to decide what she wants to do with her life, while London is nonbinary and is still struggling to gain acceptance from their entire family. When the two meet on the cooking show, sparks fly, and I was completely invested in this slooooow, open-door affair. It made me swoon and blush.

This wasn't just about queer romance; it was also a learning experience in the lives of these characters. There were some fantastic sexual moments and a sweet chemistry between the characters. With books that have to do with food, you'll find me there. Nothing makes my mouth swim like a culinary competition. The intrigue was tremendous, and I was rooting for Dahlia and London.

Can we have another book! I am ready to read more.

If you've ever wondered what would happen if contestants on Chopped get together, but one main character is nonbinary, and the other is also a queer woman, then you'll love Love and Other Disasters. London, our nb main character is so adorable and I want to protect them with my whole heart AND we get their POV, along with Dahlia's.

Give me a minute to put my thoughts together, because I'm still reeling from how much I enjoyed this book. The first half of this book flew by and had me smiling like crazy and laughing along with the characters. London and Dahlia's budding romance is absolutely adorable and watching them grow together is so cute. The second half of the book dragged on a bit, but it wasn't insurmountable. I managed to fly through this 600+ page book in a day, suffice to say it was sufficiently engaging, even at the end. The whole thing was corny as hell and I kinda loved that about it.

My criteria for rating romance are pretty simple and not all that deep. Did I not want to put it down? And Did it make me inexplicably happy? To which I answer yes, for both of these questions. Everything beyond that is just nitpicking. London is written in such a compelling way and I love getting their POV, and that alone made this is a standout from all of the other romance I've read. Dahlia has my heart, personally, because I can't help but love her klutzy, yammering personality, which is written in such an endearing way. Together, they make an adorable grumpy-sunshine couple.

If I was really going to nitpick, I'd say that I didn't love how the cooking show itself boiled down, and I think there are a lot of directions that it could have taken that I might have liked better, but it was fulfilling and I didn't hate it at all. I think that the author did their story justice, and I'm happy about it.

All in all, this didn't feel like a wildly original plot, but the representation in this book was so stinking good and well done that I can't even complain. I'll give it points for setting it in a cooking show too. Cooking isn't really my thing, but I think the author did justice to London and Dahlia's story, and I look forward to their future works.

This was a cute romcom that I devoured in one sitting. The rep in this is some of the best I've seen in the genre, and it honestly is the type of romcom that warms your heart and has you squealing with glee. Dahlia and London have such a cute relationship and I loved the cooking show element.

I love cooking competitions and really enjoy books that involve them so I was very excited to read this book. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at the show. One of the characters in this book was non-binary, which was very unique to other romcoms I’ve read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, original and cute.

I really wanted to love this book. The whole premise of a cooking show and falling in love really sucked me in. I'm a big fan of Master Chef and this was basically the book version of that ... except... it wasn't. For me, this book was extremely slow. Nothing really happened until the very end of the book. I guess I just need more action in my books, or perhaps I had the wrong idea of what this book would be. I thought there would be more cooking show and less hotel so I was a bit disappointed reading it. I'm glad I stuck it out until the end because truthfully the last 20% or so was a 4 star read. Thanks #NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read and review #LoveOtherDisasters!

Thank you Forever, NetGalley, and Anita for the advanced copy of this book, and the hours I spent shrieking because London and Dahlia are so cute. Given the competition setting, I don’t think I expected this romance to be so sweet, but both characters are so absolutely pure, and I found this uplifting and lovely.

That said, both London and Dahlia deal with things that make them sad and angry and lost, so don’t expect all fluff. There’s definitively some angst, which I appreciated, and London deals with prejudice for their identity, and that was written in a deeply specific, moving way that speaks to lived experience, which might be upsetting for readers who have dealt with transphobia, so be warned that is there. It’s there, and it’s beautifully written, and I walked away from the book feeling like I was in the clouds, but I thought I’d make a note of it anyway.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: gaslighting, misgendering, divorce, family tensions

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-F/NB friends to lovers
-cooking competition
-close-proximity
-grumpy/sunshine
-amazing banter
-an obsession with freckles and hair ties
-so much delicious food
-sex on the beach

I'm going to try to do this coherently but to put it simply I adored this book and I have now been wrecked. I honestly slowed down reading it just to deal with all of the emotions it invoked in me and to have it never end, but of course I wanted to keep reading, so here we are. Trying to figure out what I do next.

I adored London and Dahlia. Opposites in some ways and yet so similar. These two had almost frenemies level banter, all while figuring things out at a cooking competition. Neither on their home turf, they become almost allies, friends, not trusting it but unable to fight their feelings and become something more. The sexual tension in this book is wowza level amazing. Consent and just figuring out what your partner wants, exactly how they want it is hot. Both turning the chapter in a lot of ways, fiercely protective of the other and achingly insecure, I wanted to hug both of them.

This book is about the brave act, and it is, of falling in love. Of letting yourself be vulnerable, be yourself, and trust yourself with another person. Of sharing your emotions, your hurts, not expecting them to make it better, but because it makes you feel better sharing them. Sharing the load, becoming a we. Of how scary it is to let yourself loved for just being you. What this books says broadly and lyrically about gender and identity is thought-provoking, achingly true and just beautifully put. Everyone deserves to be loved for being exactly themselves.

I really can't say enough good things about this book and I need to sprint to go grab Anita Kelly's novellas and I can't wait for anything they write next. Just go preorder this one now.

Rating: 5
Steam: 3.5

yay for representation! this was one of the few books I have read that features a nb main character and the only one that is a nb/f romance. this book was such cute premise with dahlia and London competing against each other on a cooking show. the two of them formed such a cute friendship. it took me a bit to fully get into this boo, but once I did the book really sped by especially the part that spanned the time of the show.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in this book in exchange for a fair review.

Anita Kelly is one of those authors I recently discovered and just LOVE! They create some of the most endearing characters who are just looking for love and to be loved, and Dahlia and London are no exception!

Love & Other Disasters is a delectably fun, heartwarming story about finding love and yourself again, no matter where you are on life's journey. Dahlia and London's fast friendship and budding romance really takes the spotlight in this book. Sure, the foodie plot is visible and makes for great situational humor, tension, and character development, but this one is really about the characters as they discover themselves and what it feels like to truly be loved and seen by another human.

The emotions in this are palpable. The smut is steamy and totally relatable (because sometimes first times with people are awkward and you make jokes and I just loved that). And who doesn't love reading a book that describes food?

Definitely one you will want to get your hands on in January! 10/10 recommend!