I seem to be a bit of an outlier here, but this was a DNF for me. I struggled with Dahlia, and it's always difficult for me to read a story where I cannot embrace the main character. I love the concept and setting, but sadly, I depend on the characters to capture my interest, and it just didn't happen for me here.

Great Non Binary rep! Well written, adorable love story with a good balance between the main characters personal narratives as well as the reality show setting.

I've come to love cooking/baking show books because the combination of tasty recipes, competition, and romance is so alluring. Dahlia is recovering from a divorce and trying to find her way in the world and decides to go on the cooking show so she can win enough money to pay her rent. London loves cooking and they want to use the money to start a charity - and they are going on the show openly nonbinary, much to their father's dismay.

Dahlia and London are the perfect grump/sunshine trope in a diverse gender identity romance. The storyline is beautiful and is told in dual POV so you can get a glimpse into both worlds - and the crush they both have on the other is adorable even before they get together. I also respect the conversation around the nonbinary identity and the struggle those who identify that way have with family, friends, and society. London goes through a whole issue with their father, even though they have been out for years. Dahlia also goes through a tough time and the growth between the two is well done.

Highly recommend this romance, it reminded me a lot of The Charm Offensive - not the same setting but a similar romance style with identity and mental health/growth.

**Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

This was a really fun romance. I’ve never read a romance with a non-binary main character so this was a new experience for me and it was really cool to read from London’s perspective as they navigate being on the cooking show and being out for the world to see. They overcame a lot and it was a fun to read about them and their journey.

I really loved Dahlia and her spunk. She was fun to read from as well! She’s super clumsy like me and a lot of the embarrassing things that happened to her are things that would happen to me as well at the worst times!

Overall a cute read. Really enjoyed it!

I’ve been keeping an eye out for Anita Kelly's debut novel ever since a colleague reviewed one of their novellas last September. I couldn’t resist that beautiful cover! The book itself did not disappoint. The romance is sweet, with immediate chemistry between the two leads and believable challenges for them to overcome. Fans of reality TV romance (like our own Librarian Allie!) will enjoy all the behind-the-scenes drama on the Chef’s Special set, which features not only the judges and contestants but also the production staff.

I found this a surprisingly meaty read for a romcom. Both Dahlia and London grow and change over the course of the book so they can live happily-ever-after together. London learns to stand up for themself against their father, who refuses to use their pronouns. Dahlia’s arc was (in my eyes) more complex, as she struggles through a very millennial-typical quarter-life crisis to figure out who she wants to be. I really appreciated that the book took both her financial instability and her desire for independence seriously. Kissing London, while pleasant, doesn’t solve all her problems! She still has to do the work. London, meanwhile, has to learn how to check their privilege as a person who’s never worried about money in order to understand where Dahlia is coming from.

As a final note, this book is not low-heat! Kelly puts on a masterclass for anyone wondering how to write a sex scene using they/them pronouns. I would recommend the book regardless, but consider that the spicy cherry on the cake.

This is a wonderful, fun, tender, extraordinary book! I'm so happy to see Anita's work make its way into the world.

4.5

A queer romance with a nonbinary main character that takes place on a TV cooking show? The premise of this was everything I never knew I needed and wow was it a fun read.

At the start of the book, Dahlia is feeling stuck after getting a divorce and realizing she has no idea what to do with her life, which is relatable. She ends up on a TV cooking competition for home chefs where she meets London, who will be the show's first openly nonbinary contestant.

London is absolutely adorable and I love them and I loved watching their relationship with Dahlia grow. I thought the romance was really sweet and the book did a great job of balancing it with the issues the main characters faced and how their issues would effect their relationship. I liked that both characters were able to show their strengths and vulnerabilities and that they were so supportive of each other.

Overall, I had a great time with this and will be looking forward to whatever Anita Kelly writes next!

TW: misgendering, transphobia, divorce
This was a cute rom-com featuring members of the LGBTQ+ community. It's becoming a little easier to find more LGBTQ+ books and finding characters that I can relate to. In this book, Dahlia and London are contestants on a cooking show. The non-binary representing was done very well and I love how Dahlia was there to stick up for London and correct people on their pronouns and misgendering when it happened. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job with the book and kept me engaged.

This book was an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An absolute delight. The prose! The chemistry! The drama! The genuinely funny banter! Plus, I love a book that unabashedly loves Los Angeles. This is a strong contender for a 2023 book club pick, and I look forward to recommending it to many friends and patrons on the podcast and in-person.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for sending me an early copy of this book, words can't describe how much I loved it. This is the cooking show queer love story I never knew I could hope for. I've been binging a lot of cooking shows lately so this was perfect for me. London and Dahlia are so wonderful and sweet and God I had such a fun time with this. It's sensitive and kind and sexy and so important and I'm so happy that this book is out there in the world. I can't remember if I've ever read a book with a main character who is nonbinary and it means so much to get to see London represented so fully and thoughtfully. I have several nonbinary friends and once I got this book i was immediately messaging them like LOOK IT'S A NONBINARY MC. HOLY CRAP!!!! and the joy I got back was just beautiful. I also loved how the book not only handled queer culture but mental health in general and god I just loved this book. I loved Dahlia and London so much and I am so happy to have been able to help promote this beautiful book. It was just that good y'all.

This book was hilarious, spicy & adorable all at the same time. Both characters were hilarious but also so relatable!! I think this is my first book i’ve read where the m/c is non-binary & uses they/them pronouns.
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This takes place on a cooking competition show which makes everything even more hilarious. The character development was amazing, and the relationship between the characters and the background characters were great. I REALLY recommend this to everyone, especially my LGBTQIPA+ readers!!!

I kept seeing this book on book of the month recommendations and was so happy to be given the chance to read this is exchange for my review. I was drawn to the cover and the title immediately and found the book itself to be just as appealing. This was an awesome book, I loved the characters and how their relation develops and also the story line itself kept my interest. It’s has very relatable content and touches on the realities of coming out which I feel is an important topic therefor I came into this read with high expectations. I think it’s great to have books that people that may be on the fence about taking this big step can read and possibly find courage in. I will recommend this to anyone I know.

This was such a cute story! I really adored Dahlia and London and how great they were together, and how they met on this cooking show and always had each other's backs. I really liked Dahlia and how she was trying to find herself after her divorce, how cooking was a new passion for her and how she wanted to go after it and claim it for herself. I loved London and how they refused to let anyone keep them from being themself, how they came out on the show despite knowing how people would react. I loved these two and how adorable they were together, how they bantered and got to know each other and became friends first, how they so quickly found themselves leaning towards each other, wanting to tell one another everything about their days.

I did feel like we maybe could have had a little more actual cooking in this book about being in a cooking show? I felt like we were told about the challenges and cooking assignments more so than we ever saw anyone doing anything.

CW: transphobia

I thoroughly enjoyed that this love story is one we don’t usually see - but hopefully will see more of in the future: a non-binary person and a queer woman. There was no judgment from Dahlia about London’s orientation, in fact, a fierce protectiveness that developed during their friendship (before they both realized that they were falling for each other). It took about forty percent for the kissing to start, but it was well worth the wait. Sex scenes were scintillating. For example, I think Love & Other Disasters had the best fingerbanging scenes I’ve read since Heartbreak for Hire.

This was such an adorable queer competitors to lovers romance! The two mains, London who is non-binary and has dreams of opening a non-profit with their winnings and Dahlia who is just trying to figure out her life after a messy divorce become fast friends and ever faster to lovers. In some instances it may have seemed a little too fast paced but their relationship was so sweet - and a little bit steamy - that it makes up for any feelings of being rushed.

I enjoyed the cast of secondary characters. They did seem to be a little more flat instead of fully within the story but they did the part of moving the plot and the main characters personal growth along as the story went. Their support of London and Dahlia - relationship and personal life wise - was really nice and the scene with London’s family at the end of the story was one of my favorites.

I really liked how the author handled the heavy topics of the story - transphobia, divorce, self-worth - without one seeming like the more important problem. London and Dahlia each had their things to work through and the story gave them the time and positioning to do so.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the early digital copy to read and review - sorry this is a little late!

4 Stars

I was really excited to read this book because I am an avid watcher of cooking competitions of all kinds. It is something that my husband and I do together. The writing in this book was really good, I enjoyed the characters and how they meshed. I loved the little bit of grumpy/sunshine that was going on. There was definitely more spice in this book than I was expecting but I wasn't disappointed by it

I found the characters to be relatable, and very likeable, There was a lot of representation in this book a NB main character, a queer main character.This was a really good debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. If you are looking for a queer romcom to read I would recommend it.


CW: misgendering, alcohol, sexual content, dysphoria.


Thank you Forever and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is a first for Broome’s Books! A story featuring a nonbinary character as a romantic lead! I was so excited to get my hands on Love & Other Disasters. It has such a diverse cast of characters too (like any competition show would have). It featured the friends to lovers, forced proximity, and if you squint a workplace romance.

Dahlia Woodson lands a spot on the cooking competition, Chef’s Special. She’s a bit clumsy, even face plants in the first appearance, but she still is a strong chef giving the classically trained chefs a run for their money.

London Parker is all business when it comes to the competition. They keep their head down and focus on the ingredients in front of them. Dahlia is a little difficult to keep away from. There’s something magnetic about her.

This was such a fun read! I love watching competition shows. It was easy to get lost in the world Dahlia and London were in. I could see the set and their cooking stations. The cute expressions London would make and the kinetic energy that Dahlia was. They were such an adorable pair, but they also had depth to them. They both had conflicts they needed to address and grow from. It wasn’t all flowery rainbows. They challenged each other and went on all these cute dates (even if they weren’t officially labeled as dates).

The romance scenes? Ooh, there were some good ones in there. Some of the things London said to Dahlia were, oh my. The heat between them *fans self* it was fantastic. I’d give it a 2.8 out of 5 on the heat index.

One to savor! Love & Other Disasters is a fun, queer romance starring Dahlia and London, two contestants on a competitive cooking show. Yes, they absolutely check each other out on camera! I could just imagine tuning into this show and shipping them all season long.

From the outset it felt like London, the show's first nonbinary contestant, was not there to make friends -- or maybe it's just that they're more reserved. But then Dahlia sweeps in and London's got a *crush.* Meanwhile Dahlia is a bit adrift - she's made some big life changes and is gradually figuring things out.

This one's part opposites-attract, part friends-to-lovers. And forced proximity! Come for the drama of characters falling in love on a reality show (either one could get sent home at any time!), stay for the feel-good scenes.

5/5 Love & Other Disasters

This was an experience! I have never heard a book with a non-binary character before. To be completely honest, I was a little scared that I would not like the book or get confused. After reading though, I was confused a little in the beginning. The use of they/them pronouns was not something I commonly experience in my everyday life, I'm absolutely in love with the story line. It felt refreshing and real, so much so, that I felt like I was a present character. The food aspect was an added bonus as well. Can't wait to read more books like this!

Love & Other Disasters by @anitakelly

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @forever for providing a digital copy of Love & Other Disasters in exchange of a honest review.

Reasons why I really enjoyed this book:


* The little drawing of oignons at the beginning of each chapters;
* The fact that YES we all sometimes peed our pants (just a little) when we forgets how to spell whistle;
* But mainly because one of the main caracter, London, is nonbinary so that they use they/their pronouns. We can all benefits from inclusive books like this one.