Love & Other Disasters is an extremely cute contemporary romance centered around two bakers in competition on "Chef's Special," a Food Network-esque reality tv show that brings in amateur bakers. This is another take on the grumpy-sunshine trope, although the grumpiness doesn't last long! London is a nonbinary contestant navigating their public identity amidst a show that tries to play up transphobia for drama and Dahlia is a queer woman with a ton of insecurities and instability in her life. Set in LA, there are lots of fun outings in which these two get closer and discover that maybe baking isn't the only thing they have in common. I was very emotionally invested in their romance and I think that it is well paced, with realistic conflict in the ultimate act.

Other things to love: lots of side characters that round out the cast, including some very endearing elderly women contestants and London's twin sister.. There's tons of delicious food and of course, some great banter. The only issue that I had was that one of the key reasons that Dahlia got divorced is never talked about with London, as they are looking to form a relationship. It felt like something that would be pretty important to discuss when considering a possible future together (but also -- this is a romance, so it can't get THAT serious, right?).

I highly recommend this if you love romance and want something light and fast to read, and also recommend Kelly's other books (two novellas centered around a karaoke bar!!). I can't wait to see what she releases in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own. 4.5 stars.

3.5 stars
Reality baking show with lots of drama? ☑️
Rom-com with queer and non-binary characters? ☑️
Fantastic descriptions of food and baking? ☑️
Love and Other Words does a lovely job of bringing a non-binary character first and foremost into the romance genre. London Parker is the tall quiet smirking first ever non-binary contestant on Chef’s Special who meets the bouncy effervescent runs-her-mouth-too-much Dahlia Woodson. A baking competition show, the two contestants become more intertwined as the show progresses and other contestants are kicked off. Unable to avoid one another, Dahlia and London find that they have more in common than just cooking. I found this book to be an easy read, possibly predictable, but sweet nonetheless. The cooking challenges were my favorite parts of the book and the antics of Chef’s Special follow much like any reality competition show—laughable, cringe-worthy, and high stakes drama. I was excited to read about a non-binary character (a first for me in this genre) and although it mentally took my brain a moment with the pronouns used for London (reading them feels different to me than speaking them), I appreciated Anita Kelly’s subtlety in introducing London first as “Strawberry Blond Hair” seen through the eyes of Dahlia. Although enjoyable and definitely steamy at points, I felt like I never quite knew who Dahlia was as a character. Her development was a little on the surface to me; London seems to truly be a giver whereas Dahlia is a taker in their relationship. Perhaps this is because Dahlia has just come through a divorce, but I wanted more out of her as a character than it seemed I was getting. I would also have liked to see more family dynamics, especially between London and their sister/mother/father and I never felt like I had much of a sense of who Hank was to Dahlia or her mother and father. Perhaps too many story lines were trying to be told? But the Chef’s Special scenes were on point and the most fun parts of the book. The best writing was during the on-set filming parts of the Reality Show where character tension was used through a glance, a feeling, or a moment between contestants.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was heartwarming in every sense of the word. It was so refreshing to see a non-binary person represented as a love interest and I thought Kelly did a fantastic job really getting inside London’s head and illustrating all the joy and insecurities they dealt with throughout the novel navigating love, family, and the competition. The cooking show side was a fun and inventive way of pushing our main characters together and I found myself hungry while reading! Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

Nonbinary, rom-com, cooking competition, sexy, fun, HEA.

I loved loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. I was completely drawn to both characters and their stories. The concept is simple but oh so great, two contestants on a cooking show literally bump into each other on day one and have instant chemistry. Who doesn't love a cooking show? I do that’s for sure. Dahlia is a complete wrecking ball of endearing chaos that I adore, while London is a more quiet precise individual with a big heart.

I absolutely loved watching both of them grow individually while falling for each other during their timeout from their regular lives. This book was a great balance of fun antics, heavy life stuff and sexiness. This was also my first nonbinary POV and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It gave me all the feels and hope that the world is becoming a better and more accepting place, even if it’s just one book at a time.

#teamDahlia&London

Special thank you to NetGalley and Forever for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

#NetGalley #Love&OtherDisasters

This was a really cute rom-com, and it ticked all of the boxes of the genre. While I don’t know that I’ll be rereading, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from picking this book up, especially if they’re interested in reading more books with queer representation!

I loved this book so much. Between the cooking, the yearning, and the characters who have so much going on in their heads, Anita Kelly hit a lot of my happy buttons. Love and Other Disasters will probably be on a lot of best of lists and most anticipated lists next year. So, plan your pre-orders accordingly.

London and Dahlia have been selected to be contestants on a tv cooking competition show for home cooks (not professionals). There is a substantial monetary prize, and for each of them it would make a big difference in their lives. Dahlia is recently divorced and struggling with the guilt she feels about her failed marriage. London is about to introduce themselves to the world as non-binary. Dahlia thinks London looks interesting and tries to strike up a conversation. London is initially irritated by Dahlia and her hair, and then fascinated.

They strike up a friendship and then a romantic relationship as the reality competition swirls around them. Other people bump into their world, but Kelly keeps it largely focused on Dahlia and London. It felt like a comfy chair in a cozy nook.

Heat levels can be tough to convey and what’s hot is so subjective. The emotion that Kelly conveys in her romantic scenes felt so intimate and steamy to me. London and Dahlia are so sweet and tender with each other, and they come into the relationship so bruised from the world that I could feel the exquisite pain of being touched lovingly.

Anita Kelley has two other books out right now that I’ve heard good things about, Sing Anyway and Our Favorite Songs. I’m so glad I have a little bit of a backlist to dive into because I loved their writing and I want more of it.

I received this as an advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Although I loved the representation in this book and the premise, it was a little slow for my liking. I will recommend it to my friends who like romances and are looking for more diverse representations of love.
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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.

oh my goodness, this is such a sweet book! i really really enjoyed this one! it is such a sweet and heartwarming book. please pick it up as soon as you can! thank you so much, net galley!!

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.

Love & Other Disasters was exactly the sugary sweet romance, but meaty plot based romcom I had been craving for months! I absolutely loved Dahlia and London's banter and chemistry and found the cooking show aspect perfectly woven into the romantic development of the characters.

Highly suggest this book for fans of any lighthearted romcoms that also touch on important issues like accepting yourself, LGBTQ+ romance, and a bit of cheeky "scripted reality" television antics.