Cover Image: Love & Other Disasters

Love & Other Disasters

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Member Reviews

This book was quite cute! I loved the cooking competition aspect of it (but missed delectable descriptions of the food), and enjoyed the characters. Unfortunately, I found the romance a bit lacking - it seemed to come from nowhere and was immediately heavy.

I did so appreciate the steamy scenes and the variety of queer rep though! Stories like these are so particularly important!

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Always down for more queer romance. The industry seems to be catching on to the fact that the romance genre is in dire need of narratives that reflect the diversity of today's readership. This one is no exception and omg it was so cute. Funny, lighthearted, fluffy romance with a bit of competitive flair. Would recommend for anyone interested in queer romance.

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I thought this book was so good simply because it exists. Everything about it is both formulaic and groundbreaking just because of who London is and how this book tells their story. It’s a good, sweet, HEA, contemporary romance, but then it just SHATTERS the genre by bringing London and Dahlia together. I loved it. I cried. I wished there was more to it (I would have loved to have all the details of the solo interviews and other behind the scenes things, though I know they were left out purposely to help tell the story), because I wished there was more OF it to enjoy.

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DNF at 52%
I wanted to like this book so badly. Truly. A queer main character, non-binary love interest, *and* set in a cooking competition? Sign me up immediately!
Unfortunately, there were a few aspects that caused this to fall flat for me. Overall I think the main crux is simply that it felt boring to me. Even though the characters are in a cooking competition, it just didn't feel that way. That part felt so glossed over - there wasn't really any tension built around/in the competition. I would have loved to read more about their actual performances in the challenges instead of skipping over them and/or only mentioning the results. The plot was more focused on the relationship between London and Dahlia, which would've been fine except I didn't feel much chemistry between them. Additionally, the writing style felt like it was trying to be fun, kind of going for rom-con vibes, but it felt stagnant to me- like it was trying too hard to the point where it became a bit monotonous and boring.
I was honestly so excited by the premise that I'm a little sad to have DNFed it. I may return to it in the future if I have the time and desire to because I think the potential was there for it to be a cute, queer love story.

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Hands down one of the best adult romances I've ever read! London and Dahlia were both absolute delights and I was rooting for them all the way through. As a queer woman in a relationship with a trans person, I felt so seen by this romance novel and it was truly the first time I've ever read a contemporary adult romance that featured a relationship like mine. I will forever cherish this book.

The food descriptions and cooking show setting also added a lovely touch! I appreciated that London and Dahlia both had their own journeys, and I especially appreciated Dahlia's personal journey. Although this book does deal with transphobia, I really appreciated that London was never misgendered on-page.

Overall, such a beautiful romance and I really can't wait to read more from Anita! My only complaint is that the title feels so generic and not specific to this book--the title could be used for literally any other adult romance. I just wish it had a title that better reflected what the book was about, like a foodie pun or something.

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This book was rlly easy to get into and it flowed easily. I loved the representations and how the characters differed from each other. It would've been higher rated if it weren't for my personal preferences but other than that I would most defiantly recommend it to those looking for a quick read.

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Loved the queer rep in this so much! The writing/plot wasn’t always for me but the characters were awesome. Very good third act conflict too - it felt realistic and not overly manufactured.

The only issue I really had was London questioning Dahlia's queerness. I felt like that wasn't their place and bi/pan girls get that all the time, so it's just kind of tiring to see.

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3.5/5 Stars

So apparently the popular trope in queer romcoms currently is baking/cooking competitions. If so hadn’t read three other books with very similar plot lines over the last couple months, I might have enjoyed this more. I like the characters and a lot of the interactions were cute, but the dialogue was something’s a bit cringy. And the pacing was a bit off for my taste. I speed through the first half but then it look me weeks to finish.

Overall, this is enjoyed, but not my favorite of the queer baking/cooking competition romcoms.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

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I was really amused by this book. and it was a good read, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype in my head, unfortunately.

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TWs: transphobia, sexual content, intentional misgendering


I really enjoyed Love & Other Disasters. I didn't realize how much I liked competition shows set in books until I read this one.

The characters are very well written, and Dahlia and London have great chemistry. They felt real, and were well rounded. And both are part of the LGBTQ+ community - Dahlia is bisexual and London is nonbinary and pansexual.

I liked reading a book that features a nonbinary character. The usage of they/them pronouns didn't distract from the story at all. Since I am still learning about this section of the LGBTQ+ community, I appreciated being able to learn more about what being nonbinary is.

The one big complaint I have with the book is the conflict that the two characters must overcome to be together didn't feel significant enough. I liked the resolution with the grand gesture, but I felt like the author could have written a better conflict.

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Really had a lot of fun reading this queer romance! It's my first romance with a nonbinary lead. London is nonbinary and pan, and Dahlia is queer and I enjoyed their chemistry with each other. I definitely think London was my fave character in the whole book. The cooking show was a fun backdrop to their story but there were parts that also seemed very formulaic. Perfectly fun romance read but the draw for me was the queer representation!

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I couldn’t connect with this as much as I wanted ! But it was really well written and I would try this author again in a heart beat.

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This was great! I loved reading about a non-binary character, I think this was the first book I've read with an NB love interest. This was fun and cute! Highly recommend.

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I really enjoyed Love & Other Disasters. In a story about a competitive baking show, we find friendship, love, strength, and compassion. It was wonderful to also see non-binary and bisexual representation and have it be centered more on joy rather than trauma of the lived experience.

What worked for me:
- baking competition setting
- fantastic representation
- owning and being proud of identities/who they are as individuals
- the acknowledgment of past experiences and how that impacts them currently as they move forward.

What I would have liked more of:
- a bit more of the engagement with the baking competition
- a bit more of the development of the relationship - it happened over a relatively quick time period (a few weeks) but the story felt a bit slow in parts or like there was something missing.

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Look at this title. Look at this cover. Tell me what it brings to mind. Omg.. you didn't say a nationally broadcast cooking competition? However did you miss all the clues??

I mean, frankly, not even one disaster happened in this book? And they could have AT LEAST been wearing aprons on the cover?!?!?! It was damn near a jumpscare when I found out that this book is about cooking lmao blame me not reading the synopsis but idk, not sure why I am so bothered by this

Ok so we have Dahlia and London. Dahlia is your typical little romance protagonist moron who is a clumsy mess with a small stature and a lack of direction in life. I do like the fact that she has been through a divorce - I think it's details like that that can really bring a book to life and make the characters feel more real. She divorced her high school sweetheart, and was working a job she felt nothing for, until she randomly decides to go on Top Chef. I can't remember the actual name of the cooking show, so it will henceforth be known as Top Chef in this review.

London is another contestant on Top Chef, and they have the luck (or maybe misfortune) of being the first openly nonbinary contestant. It's part of their "about me" for their introduction to the show. So, it's out there basically immediately, and for the most part it goes well. One contestant doesn't "agree" with London's identity, and basically the show ends up pitting them against each other in a #TeamLondon or #TeamLizzie situation that's really gross.... but whatever. Anyway, London is already kind of used to this sort of thing, because their dad doesn't use their pronouns either.

Then these two numbskulls start to be friends and then more than friends, and it's sweet. They get to know each other pretty well pretty quick, but I don't think it's oddly paced or instalovey or anything. There's even still enough of the cooking competition left in the book to make it still make sense to the plot... ya'll don't know how many romances I've read that completely abandon the PLOT of the book as soon as the characters meet........ Faker by Sarah Smith ring a bell......

Dahlia soul searches over the course of the story; she finds out who she is and wants to be outside of her long term relationship and her perception of her mom's expectations. London grapples with their dad's acceptance of them and conversely whether they should accept their dad. These people do have real life problems outside of their romance.

Part of my issue is that their problems within their romance are kind of.... stupid. The big problem is that they are from different states outside of the competition and when the competition is over they will have to split up. Especially knowing that either of them could go home at any time. It got to the point that you wanted to yell at them to just go visit each other!!!! They were acting like they were getting kicked off the HUNGER GAMES and DYING, not just going home from LA......

Oddly enough they were both allowed to have their phones the whole time? And I've always been under the impression that you don't have your phone during reality TV? Like that's usually the whole purpose of a tearful reunion with your family once you've been on screen for long enough, but maybe I've been naive this whole time. But the fact that they had their phones made it even STUPIDER for them to not pursue a relationship for fear of going home, because they could literally just fuckin text each other the next day .....

We DID have sex scenes, blessedly, and they weren't half bad. Someone's toe did get sucked... which was like another jump scare... but hey, different folks are into different things, man. There was an outdoor scene that was plenty fine, plenty fine indeed

The epilogue was weird and I wasn't a huge fan of it. But in the end, we get both Dahlia and London's main issues solved, and that's all we can ask for

I was mainly just here for the representation, and as far as I, a straight cis gal, can tell, it was well-done representation. There was a little bit about dysphoria, about hormones, about one's relationship with makeup/femininity, basically you weren't spoon fed info about being non-binary but there were basics for anyone reading who is new to the concept. London was that representation in the book, too, because they became an inspiration for a lot of queer folks at home watching the show, young and old alike. Dahlia was queer too, but had never been with anyone other than her ex-husband, so it was nice to see her grow romantically too.

Basically, this is a good book for the rep and just something light to read, avoid if you are not into hair fetishes

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I was not a fan of this book at all. It seemed to have all the makings of a book I would enjoy but I just did not enjoy it. I could not connect with the characters at all and the romance fell flat for me.

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I really loved this book. It made me feel seen with the representation, as I haven't read many romances with non-binary characters,

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I keep going back and forth on my rating of this book and I think it falls solidly between a 3.5 and 4. Let's get into it a little more deeply. I think Anita Kelly has done queer and non-binary rep amazingly in the sense that they've built two really well-developed personalities. They've gone and done my favorite thing, which is grumpy/sunshine. And yes. London is a grump. They GRUNT IN RESPONSE for christs sake. And hot... so very very hot. Dahlia is that brand of sunshine that's just so energetic and fun and downright ridiculously silly at times. Dahlia didn't cross the line into that territory of so quirky and awkward and silly that it was cringey. She was still real and had depth. The storyline was so fun. I loved following the whole competition cooking show. It really brought up some fond memories of watching Food Network when I was younger. The issue with this book, is that it is meant to be a romance. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I liked what the character did together. However, I did not feel an ounce of the passion or love between London and Dahlia. Yes, after they got together I could tell they cared deeply for each other. And before they got together there were the classic grump moments on London's end (frowning rudely at those who are rude to Dahlia, the 'inexplicable urge to hold her', inappropriate expressed urges to taste her). However, I never found myself willing these two together. I didn't have the 'on the edge of my seat hoping this close encounter would be the moment they finally kiss' moment. I wasn't screaming at these two to just finally kiss because they are clearly pining for each other. It's unfortunate that the little spark was missing for me since I think Kelly has crafted great queer characters and this book provides the non-binary rep the romance world is missing. I truly enjoyed so much about this book and flew through it, but after finishing I definitely found myself realizing I wasn't nearly as invested in their relationship as I was in who was going to win the $100,000 dollar cash prize of Chef's Special.

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Dahlia is throwing a hail mary when she goes on the competitive cooking show Chef's Special. After marrying her childhood sweetheart and checking all the boxes you're supposed to check, she's divorced, nearly bankrupt, and at loose ends. London doesn't have money problems, but they did just announce their pronouns on national television, their can't-take-it-back way of forcing their parents and the wealthy social set they're a part of to finally acknowledge who they are.

Both have a passion for cooking; neither is looking for love. Attraction is on the menu nonetheless (SORRY, that's the only food pun). What they do with that attraction though, and where their grudging alliance-turned-friendship will lead them, is where the meat of this story is. Especially when only one of them can emerge a winner.

Grump & sunshine is probably my LEAST favorite romance trope . . . and Anita Kelly still managed to have me rooting for Dahlia and London by the end of this book! Highlights were plenty of humor, an ecstatic oceanic moment of self-reclamation, accurate depictions of anxiety/depression, and fantastic non-binary rep (maybe the first I've seen in a MC in romance ever??).

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I absolutely devoured this one, and then immediately bought a finished copy. This was my first romance with a nonbinary love interest and now I just want more! The chemistry was palpable, their relationship had me smiling the whole time, and I adored everything about the relationship between London and Dahlia. This has been described as a hug in book form and I couldn't agree more. Plus, it taking place on a cooking show was an added bonus. Give me more food-related romance, please! For fans of Talia Hibbert.

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