4.5 stars

TW: transphobia, divorce

This was my first time reading a romance novel with non-binary representation, which was the main reason I wanted to read it.

The only reality TV I like watching are cooking shows so I liked that this story was set in a reality cooking competition where Dahlia and London meet.

As much as I appreciated the dual POV, I felt the conflict was mainly inner conflict portrayed through a lot of inner dialogue, in which we learnt about each of their insecurities.

I wish Lizzie’s character and the conflict between Lizzie and London had been more well-developed. I wish there had been more drama surrounding the cooking competition and that it had been more cut throat.

I did however, appreciate how steamy this romance novel was.

All the references to LA touristy spots especially those in North Hollywood made me feel nostalgic.

Love & Other Disasters is a giant hug in the shape of a book. This witty, swoony cooking show adventure was like my favorite comfort food. It nailed the chemistry between the main characters. I adored London and Dahlia—and their HEA was well-deserved. This heartfelt book featured steamy scenes (whew!), fantastic dialogue, gorgeous, detailed descriptions, and mouth-watering dishes. But, above all, I will remember this book for the pure joy it brought me.

5/5 - Expected to like it, ended up *loving* it.

Salt, acid, fat, and HEAT. This friends-to-lovers romance is sweet and surprisingly spicy.

Dahlia and London are just so much fun to read and the setting made this story something new and interesting.

I liked it so much I’ve already bought a print copy for my collection.

DNF: It just wasn't a good fit for me, but I'm sure plenty of other readers will love this. I'm leaving it unfinished.

This one from Anita Kelly was just lovely. A f/nb love story that takes place at a cooking reality show, Anita created absolutely lovable three-dimensional characters that you came to care for and root for. Dehlia and Logan each had their own pain and growth, and watching them come together was just magical. Since I was reading this for a book club that focuses on writing craft, as well as just enjoying books, something I really loved was that even though we were reading from Logan and Dahlia's POV and they couldn't see that they were catching feelings, Anita did a great job of being sure we as the reader knew they were catching feelings. It was magical, and I absolutely love seeing diverse love stories being published by major publishers.

“Love & Other Disasters” was such a joy to read. I can’t even express how achingly sweet, sexy, funny, and cute this book was!!

I was hesitant when I initially started this book because: the first page is essentially a love letter to onions. If there is anything I can’t relate to, it’s being an onion stan. I know, I know. Onions are basically what makes the food world go round. The flavor. The smell of them cooking. They’re in almost every entree ever. Well, I hate them. The flavor is completely fine and welcome, but the texture. I CAN’T. If I get served a dish with onions that aren’t big enough to pick out, it’s game over. If I accidentally EAT one?? I truly wish I loved onions as much as Dahlia does. Truly. But for as long as I can remember, and no matter how many times I retry them, onions have always been my nemesis. So when Dahlia went on and on about how great they were? Could. Not. Relate.

Thankfully, the love letter to onions didn’t last long and we quickly jump into the story, which is one I loved so, so much. “Love & Other Disasters” was the first book I read with a non-binary main character and I’m glad it was London who took my hand pulled me along for this journey.

Personally, I don’t remember a time if I ever questioned why people would want they/them pronouns. I’m sure when I initially learned what non-binary meant, it was probably confusing to me, but I know I’ve never denied anyone the respect of referring to them how they want. But while I’ve always respected that, I’ve never personally known anyone who is non-binary or read a story where there was a main character who is non-binary. “Love & Other Disasters” and London opened my eyes to a lot of what non-binary people go through and the feelings they experience. London will forever have a special place in my heart because of this.

Speaking of London, who I adore, they start off as the grump in our grumpy/sunshine trope and honestly, I was obsessed with them from moment one. Their reactions to Dahlia were priceless and though they start off as the grump, we quickly get to know London and why they may come off that way. Trust me, they aren’t unbearable for any extended period of time, which is something that can make the grumpy/sunshine trope sometimes alienable–when the grump is that way just a bit too long.

As for Dahlia, I’m also obsessed with her. It’s very easy to like her, as she’s the sunshine in our grumpy/sunshine trope, but it’s not always rainbows and butterflies with her, which I appreciate. She’s recently divorced and dealing with guilt from that, and has anxiety about trying to figure out where her life is headed. I love what Dahlia brings out in London and what London brings out in her. They really are one of my favorite book couples I’ve read in a long time.

There is honestly so much I love about “Love & Other Disasters”–the representation, Chef’s Special, London and Dahlia’s shenanigans, the spice–but I really think the backbone of it is London and Dahlia. I loved reading each of their perspectives and following their love story. This book is close to perfect and I need everyone to read it.

This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. The beginning felt like it was moving so slowly, but the pace picked up once London and Dahlia became friends. I appreciated watching their friendship grow the longer they stayed in the competition. I surprisingly felt more connected to Dahlia as she figured out her next steps and what she wanted to do with her life. I found myself rooting for them by the end of the story. It was inspiring to read a romance with a nonbinary character because it isn't something I encounter. Overall, I thought it was a solid read, and I enjoyed reading it.

“Love & Other Disasters” by Anita Kelly is a steamy queer romantic comedy featuring a bisexual woman and a pansexual nonbinary person.

Dahlia Woodson and London Parker are contestants on a cooking competition show called Chef’s Special. Dahlia is a rather new chef and is mainly wanting to learn more about cooking and could really use the $100,000 grand prize. London, on the other hand, has been cooking for years. They really want to start a non-profit for queer and trans kids and is also wanting to put out some good nb/trans representation.

Honestly, I really really liked this book. Kelly wrote the mains in such a way that they came across as real people. They’re both messy and imperfect and as the title suggests, also a bit of disasters. Neither one is perfect and they have all kinds of other things going on outside of the cooking show. While it took me a minute to like each character, once I did, I really liked them both and was rooting for them as a couple and as individuals.

Dahlia is recently divorced (within the last year or so) and seems a bit lost. While likable and sweet (although she did make me cringe a time or two), she’s unhappy with where her life is at but also doesn’t know what the next step is. She’s on an emotional roller coaster throughout the story and sometimes it affects her relationship with London, which felt realistic. I liked how protective she was of London from the very beginning. London is more grounded and has things mostly figured out. Their biggest issue is being accepted as nonbinary, especially with their dad who hasn’t taken it well. Once I got to know London, I absolutely adored them.

My only real complaint is that the relationship is very insta-love to me and I was a little disappointed how quickly the I-love-you’s came about in relation to how long they actually knew one another. I wish the hadn’t said them at all and I would’ve been happier by the ending. Their first month together is not their real life and it’s just hard to imagine they got to know the real person in such a high-stress environment.

Also, we warned of toe sucking.

I recommend this for any rom-coms fans out there. This is cute, fun, and had me laughing several times.

I received an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for providing me with an eARC to review!

Do you love high energy cooking shows like Masterchef? What about charming romances with dynamic and original characters? Have you been dying for more nonbinary characters? If your answer to any and all of these questions is a resounding, "Yes, Chef!", then Love & Other Disasters is the book for you! This is truly a delightful debut from Anita Kelly. Dahlia and London are both charming characters, and you can't help but root for them.
Their chemistry and steam is also *chef's kiss*- pun intended of course. Easily 5 stars, and I can't wait to see what comes next from Anita Kelly!

I loved this! What a beautiful romance and great main characters. I found this book so entrancing and before i knew it, i was 50% in and upset i read it too quick! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how they interact. this book has great representation and will leave you smiling because this book is just so great!

This was so absolutely charming and it warmed my heart. In a season of life where I have been needing heartwarming reads, this fit that bill. It is hopeful, romantic, and had me fully absorbed in the story. Of course I am a sucker for any reality tv show setting, especially one based around cooking. I like to think in an alternate universe I am a fabulous cook, but in this universe I just like to watch tv shows about cooking and read about cooking. I also collect an extensive amount of cookbooks that I never pick up but that is another issue and you did not come here for that.

One thing I really appreciated about this read was the messiness of the lives of these characters. While obviously a romance and wonderfully optimistic, it does not shy away from the general heartbreak of broken families and broken relationships either. I appreciated that. It also did not shy aware from the biases and meanness people can bring into the world. The book does not really have answers for these things or for everything. While ending like you would expect a romance to end, it does not tie every aspect of these characters lives up with a bow. I appreciated the hope it brought to the forefront while also remaining somewhat realistic about the biases of others.

I think if you are looking for a lovely, positive LGBTQ+ romance in your life this will be a heartwarming and romantic choice. There is a lot to appreciate about this one and I loved some of the nuance of it. The chemistry between the two main leads is fire and it was so easy to get pulled into their romantic story.

WE'VE! GOT! REPRESENTATION! A non-binary character as the lead of this romance! Both London and Dahlia are kind of a mess, but it's a fun mess. The writing of this book is strong, while means that you really feel connected to the love story. London's relationship with their dad (and the tension and hurt there) feels so real, and the time spent on the cooking show made me feel the pressure they felt about being eliminated - and all of this was balanced out by the genuinely sweet love story.

This book was so cute! I always love a good rivals to lovers. Also loved seeing the representation in this book. The character development was well done and I felt connected to both characters. I highly recommend this book to any fans of romance.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Love & Other Disasters was a beautiful love story between London and Dahlia. The story is told from each of their POV and I enjoyed getting to know them in this way. The banter between them lead to many funny moments. Their meeting takes place at a reality cooking competition they are both part of so the reality show and food references are fun. I've never read a romance with a non-binary character before, and I thought that the book handled issues that the LGBTQ community face was handled with respect and sensitivity. I really enjoyed this book and will seek out other books by Anita Kelly.

Thank you @NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Email: DaniReadsTooMuch@comcast.net
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I had a fun time reading about the hijinks of the main characters, although as I read the book I felt there weren't many distinct differences between the two leads beyond their gender identities

I really enjoyed this book. It's such a fresh take amongst all of the cooking/baking competition books this year. London and Dahlia are both such interesting, well-written characters. They have baggage, they have dreams, they have struggles, and it's all so interesting to read about.

The story is really interesting, the settings are fantastic and so well-drescribed, and the food descriptions are amazing. I could not make a pan of Rice Krispies Treats fast enough after finishing this one, that's how good the descriptions were!

I really recommend this one.

I’ve raved about Anita Kelly’s first two books and have been really anticipating her debut with Forever. And I loved everything about this book from beginning to end.

Dahlia and London are competitors on a cooking show and one of the things I loved so much is that there is no antagonism between them at all. Just encouragement and laughter and love of the craft. I felt like the author rolled up multiple reality cooking shows together to create one that worked in this world. (I love reality cooking competitions so I was the exact right audience for this.) The meet-cute is the literal start of the book when Dahlia is upset that London doesn’t wish her luck before the competition begins and then Dahlia has a humiliating incident on camera immediately afterward.

But the humiliating incident and the meet-cute is handled so well on-page that I didn’t get second-hand embarrassment at all. Dahlia wallows for maybe a second, laughs it off, and then proceeds to make friends on the show. It felt like actual adult behavior, and so many times in books adults tend toward juvenile behavior so this felt very refreshing.

I don’t know if I liked Dahlia or London more? On one hand, we have Dahlia, who is just so sunshiny but fiercely protective of those she loves but is having a quarter life crisis about who she is and what she should do with her life. And then, on the other hand, we have London, who knows who they are and just wants other people to let them be who they are – and because of that can be a bit grumpy. Both characters are completely fleshed out and beautifully nuanced. I felt like I understood them and their families, which I think is a hard task to accomplish.

I want to shout from the rooftop that Dahlia is solidly childfree. This is *extremely* important to me personally as it is so hard to find in romance novels. There’s a point when London says to her that it’s okay to grow up and change your mind about these things – at one point Dahlia wanted children and now she doesn’t – *and this is okay*. This was SO refreshing to hear! Of course it’s okay to change your mind, but to have that said to Dahlia was really powerful to hear. London is the first openly nonbinary contestant on the cooking show and this storyline is just so great. That they do have supportive friends and family members felt really important to me; this wasn’t an isolated queer person with no family behind them and I loved that for London. Their whole journey, both on the show and off, was really powerful and I hope that we get more characters like London in romance across the genre.

On top of all of that goodness is the actual romance, which is cute and sweet but HOT as hell. Seriously, some of their sex scenes had me looking around making sure no one else was listening to the audiobook with me because I was blushing lol. I highly recommend this book and look forward to whatever else Anita Kelly writes.

Grade: A+

Love & other Disaster
by Anita Kelly
3 stars

I was really into this at first, I love cooking shows but then it just lost me in all the romance and mixing it. I was kind of hoping that it would be a fun friendly competition between Dahila and London. Their relationship and getting together just seemed too fast for me, it was like they were going to be enemies and become friends but then bam relationship, and eh not my cup of tea. It went too fast for me.
I did enjoy reading about their lives how they are at home and their relationships with their families. I wanted more of that. The steam parts weren't steamy enough for me, but they did make sure that consent was clear in the book, and they got the green light before any go-ahead so that was new in a book.

Thank you, Net Galley, for this advanced copy for an honest review.

I know everyone really loves this book and I wanted to love it too, but it’s just not working out. Maybe Rosaline Palmer was my one-off baking reality competition book I could get into? I just find Dahlia super annoying from her own perspective in her chapters, and especially so seeing her from London’s chapters. London is great and I love them. I have nothing bad to say about London.

The show has cooking in it, but so far we’re two rounds in and all that’s happened is that we’re TOLD about the contestants cooking and TOLD about the judges judging, but we’re barely shown any of it. The book just kind of glosses over everything in a “so this happened and this happened” kind of way, and then they’ve moved on. I feel like this book is less focused on the cooking and the food, and more focused on the relationship? It’s a cooking competition for <i>aesthetics</i> only. There’s no real depth to the competition aspect.

I was here for the food and besides NOT getting anything from the competition, all we’ve got is Dahlia making comments like she doesn’t cook with meat because she can’t afford it, which would be FINE except she has an uppity attitude about it by going on to say she only buys and cooks with fresh produce? And I’m just?? Fresh produce isn’t cheap either?? And then Dahlia slams crabs and lobster while saying she can cook seafood but crabs and lobsters aren’t worth the effort? If she said it’s because they’re too expensive to practice on, that’s one thing, but that’s not what she said. So, what CAN she do? Cod in fish tacos as her signature dish?? Because she is giving me NOTHING.

I don’t think this book and I are going to work out.

DNF @ 10%.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me an e-ARC for review on NetGalley.

This romance was sooooo adorable and heart-warming! I read it in one sitting and loved every bit of it!

Set on the stage of a competitive cooking competition show, we follow London and Dahlia as contestants trying to show just how great they can cook. Along the way we get to see them become friends and maybe even more. This was my first romance read with a non-binary main character and I absolutely loved how beautifully the author portrayed London and their personality and struggles as being the first out non-binary contestant. Then we’ve got Dahlia who is reeling trying to find her place in life after getting divorced and then quitting her job to come on the competition. Both of these characters have things to prove to themselves and to others and they just might find love along the way.

If you need a cozy, adorable romance (and you love a good tv cooking competition) this is definitely a book you need to pick up!

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this stunning novel!