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.

This is a cute romance about a woman and a non-binary person who fall in love while competing on a cooking show. I seriously wanted more about the food (and more diversity in the contestants) but it wasn't *really* about the food.

The gendering (and discussion of misgendering) and the consent were well done. I actually wasn't expecting such explicit scenes, though. 3.5 stars.

Newly divorced Dahlia enters a televised cooking competition for a chance to have a fresh start. The first non binary contest London meets clumsy Dahlia on the first day when she trips and her fabulous fish tacos go flying. As the show progresses, they start a deep friendship that could be more, until Dahlia is sent home from the competition.

Emotional and hilarious, Love & Other Disasters is one of the most current, refreshing romances I’ve read recently. Both characters open themselves up and are real with each other, but there are still scenes that are laugh out loud funny. And the remaining cast of contestants are equally relatable and entertaining. Great summer read!

This was a fantastic read!! I liked the setting of the cooking competition I loved the characters and the balance between their lives together and outside of the competition bubble. Couldn't put it down!

I really liked this book. The chemistry between London and Dahlia was fantastic. More importantly, the representation in this book is so needed and we need to see it more! Although I don't personally relate to their journeys, I loved reading about them and learning more about both someone who is non-binary and their struggles, especially with their family; and with a woman who decides she wants the exact opposite of what society expects from her. Both of the characters are so brave, fighting for what they want and for their true selves despite the feeling of disappointing their loved ones. I read this via audiobook and it was a great listen. I also loved seeing how cooking helped both London and Dahlia in their lives.

A romance that is both like and not like any other! Romance readers often read for the familiarity in the plot progression and this one will not disappoint on that front but with a very wonderful difference, one of the main characters is non-binary. I have read a few other books with a nb character, but I have never read a book where the main character is nb and really enjoyed it! I love reading romances of all kinds and have been super excited that there are so many wonderful queer romances being published. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

After realizing she doesn’t want kids and divorcing her husband, Dahlia Woodson is ready for a fresh start and a new her on the popular reality cooking show Chef’s Special. The $100,000 grand prize could go a long way toward that, too.

London Parker is ready to make a change in their life, as well. After announcing their pronouns on Chef’s Special, they’re eager to prove the trolls wrong, stand up to their dad, and start an LGBTQ+ nonprofit for kids with the grand prize winnings.

Little do they know that love might just throw a wrench in their plans. Can Dahlia and London stand the heat, or is it time to get out of the kitchen?

I loved, loved, loved this book! But, just like @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf , I also feel the need to come clean. This was the first book I’ve ever read with a non-binary character, so the they/them pronouns initially threw me. Once I became used to that, though, I also quickly realized that there need to be more non-binary characters and books like Anita’s out there. Everyone’s identity should be accepted and celebrated, and I completely fell in love with London, as well as their dynamic with Dahlia and their family. I also adored Hank, Julie, and both Dahlia’s and London’s moms.

Can we also talk about how hungry this book made me?!? The food descriptions and recipes left my mouth watering, and I loved having the cooking show as a backdrop fir Dahlia and London’s growth.

This book hits shelves Jan. 18, but definitely give it a pre-order because you won’t want to miss it!! Thank you so much to @readforeverpub and @anitakellywrites for my gifted e-copy!!! Anita, I absolutely can’t wait to read more of your work!!

**DNF'd so my star rating does not reflect accurate feelings and representation of this novel

Not my cup of tea. To start, the book opened with a lengthy food description but unfortunately, made my mind wander instead of making my mouth water. Although the premise surrounds a cooking show, I felt like the author was too heavy-handed with the character's love for food and didn't dive deep enough into their personalities outside of the kitchen. I tried picking this up a few times but ended up DNF'ing. I am hoping to try again in the future but I have lost all immediate motivation.

UGHHHH when I tell you that I absolutely LOVE cooking show. or competition books in general! UGHH. This book was unique in the fact that it has a non-binary character and I absolutely loved it, and hope that it starts being a usual thing in books. Dahlia and London are competing on an amateur chef cooking competition and although they try to ignore the connections they feel with one another they cannot. They worked so well together. I loved how the author portrayed the characters and gave them so much depth and really showcased their backgrounds. This is definitely a cute book if you want an easy romance, perfect afternoon read for me.

4 Stars. I had a great time with this book. This is a romance between two contestants on a "Great British Baking Show", but a less nice version. Each of the main cast has their own goals with what they want from the show, and how those goals bump up against each other makes this a darned good book. Also, that it is a book that pairs a lady with a Non-Binary person and the drama isn't just around the couples' identity is amazing.

It certainly had some issues with pacing mostly (for me), but I had a great time watching both Dahlia and London grow throughout the process of shooting the show. For Dahlia, it was picking herself up after a recent divorce, and London learned to stand up for themselves with their dad. They helped each other out in different ways. That, to me, was the best part of the book: Dahlia and London both have confidence issues, but those issues manifest in unique ways. There are little details that help a ton - Dahlia and her trans sibling are very close, and Dahlia's experience with being a good trans ally gives her the tools to do the little things to help London feel more comfortable. London, themselves, is very confident in their cooking/ baking but gets hurt every time they talk to their dad. Their dad doesn't really accept their identity, and often makes harmful remarks that makes it hard for them to feel confident in their own skin. Outside of that, London uplifts Dahlia with her own goals and lifts her up as well.

This is a sweet and at times very emotional book. Despite there being some pacing issues with regards to some of the relationship stuff, this was a perfect romance for me. Dahlia and London are excellent complimentary personalities and their banter is amazing. Just a great read all around.

* I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed a lot of elements of this book, but there was an element that greatly detracted from it. The whole sub plot with the producer telling Dahlia about the semi- fixed results felt very rough, and unneeded. There was no real resolution to it, and based on the relationship built throughout the book it would've been something she eventually mentioned to London. overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars but will round up here.

Didn’t care for this one much at all. Not for any particular reason, I just didn’t not like the books

Dahlia is looking to reinvent herself as a contestant on the popular cooking competition show, Chef’s Special. But she meets London, who is also a competitor and like no one she’s ever met before. When they announce their pronouns on national TV, London’s focus is pulled while trying to manage their family and the internet trolls that feel the need to comment. Dahlia and London grow closer and become support for each other as well as competitors.

Cooking competition shows are a favorite of mine, so it was fun to hear about the recipes and the fails/successes with the food and judging.

This is the first novel I’ve read with a nonbinary character and I loved it. I hope it becomes more commonplace. While there is transphobia and misgendering as a content warning, I love the way it was addressed in the story. Neither Dahlia and London were heteronormative and it was a refreshing take to see the interaction as the main story. The diversity in the cast of characters was phenomenal.

this was warm & fuzzy (& also steamy!) and should work well for fans of books like The Charm Offensive.

I liked this, but it felt like it was missing something. It moved a little too quickly and we didn’t get enough time on a lot of the plot points. There wasn’t enough character development for London. & I hated that they never talked about their very different financial situations.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher!

Gosh so cute!!!!!! The plot was a bit slow at points but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it's incredibly hard to pull off dual POV because you urn the risk of the narratives having the same voice, but Anita Kelly brilliantly overcomes that common issue.

this had such an interesting premise! I adored the idea of a a f/nb romance with the whole cooking show aspect but this just wasn't for me

i'm not a huge fan of insta love but there are some instances where it's done really well— this was not one of them. I didn't care for the romance which of course is the main focus. I didn't love the cooking aspect either and found myself just hoping for it to end.

the lack of people of color is always something to note in books, that's not my main problem with the book but that did make me hesitant on. continuing the book.

the main positive in this novel is the nonbinary rep! I loved London and their character so much the representation was done wonderfully and I appreciated reading about someone like me in that way.

overall this had a great idea but executed it a bit poorly.

This was a really good book that I highly enjoyed. The topics in this book was well written and researched. The characters were enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to other readers.

I did NOT want to write this review. I loathe being the black sheep of books because I always feel like someone is going to say, “you just didn’t understand it” when that’s not it at all. It’s just the fact that this is my opinion. So please, if you liked this, don’t be mad that I didn’t…. Now that that’s been said…. In short, I hated this lol

London Parker is the first openly non-binary person on the Cooking Show, Chef’s Special. Dahlia is recently divorced and doesn’t know what to do with herself quite yet. However, they both know they want to be the one to win the competition at the end of the day. But with everything going on, like them being competitors, the nasty judges and other competitors, etc. neither one of them thought they might fall for someone. Until they do…

This book is an example of why I should read more than just a few first lines of the synopsis. I try to avoid all spoilers and go in a book blind, so when I saw the words, “The first openly nonbinary contestant…” and I didn’t even bother to read the rest, let alone any reviews. But if I had, I would have seen some of the TW/CWs saying “toe sucking.” OK, so you might think this is funny, but there are real people out there who have real phobias of feet. I am one of them. I’m not really scared of them, but I just think they’re really gross. Like your feet sweat all day when you wear socks and shoes, or they get gross and dusty when you wear flip-flops and ugh they’re just gross. So imagine my surprise when I’m listening to this and they mention that they’re about to do it and that happens. Y’all I wanted to throw up! But so many people said this was good, so I kept listening thinking it would get better. Newsflash, it does not.

The romance was not really believable either? Idk, I just didn’t like Dahlia. She was meant to be the quirky and funny character, but I did not care for her. The only thing she did that I laughed at (and God forgive me for this lol) was when she fell at the beginning and the fact that they still showed it lol And I think from there, it spiraled down. Because I didn’t care for her, I didn’t care about them together. I wasn’t really sold on it either. I knew she would be the cause for the third act break-up. (Which by the way, I despise lol) Unfortunately, London got lost in all this. Dahlia was this big over bearing character and London seemed quiet and Idk, I just wanted more from them. So since I wasn’t a fan of them apart, I wasn’t really a fan of them together. I didn’t swoon when they got to the sweet parts and I didn’t like fan myself when it got to the steamy parts.

And lastly, the writing style just didn’t do it for me. I remember speeding it up to 2x’s just so I could finish it faster. It was so telly and not showy. I wanted to see what they were doing in the kitchen. Telling me what they made, but not how it looks, what it’s supposed to taste like, or just saying yeah it’s good or bad. As a foodie person who loves foodie books, I live for those descriptions. It just didn’t do it for me. And the world-building was terrible. As someone who once worked in a restaurant, I know the struggle of cooking in a big setting and having other people around. There’s so much going on all the time and you don’t have time to be watching someone else or doing 1651951 other things like they were. It just wasn’t good.

I hate writing reviews of books that I don’t like. They never get easier. But since I finished it, I wanted to write one. If nothing else to give an opposing viewpoint.

OH MY GOD i don't think i've had the delightful pleasure of reading a book (let alone a romance) with a nonbinary character yet. idk how!! because it was great!!! like i read it in four hours without standing up great!!!!!
so i loved dahlia and london. and honestly i don't think i have a ton of other thoughts beyond incomprehensible squealing? please for the love of everything just read this damn book <3
also thank you to netgalley and forever/grand central publishing for letting me read this arc! sorry it took me 2 months after the publishing date to actually read it 😬

This was such a great romance read! I loved that one of the main characters is a non-binary person and it was really interesting to hear about their experience coming out to their family as well as daily challenges they encounter. Their interactions with Dahlia were so cute. It was also interesting to see how they handled their first sexual interaction with Dahlia as understandably they were questioning if they would be an experiment for Dahlia. I do wish that Dahlia had previously discussed her queerness a bit more because it just seemed almost too convenient for them to bring it up right when they were about to have sex. I also kind of cringed at Dahlia's passive comments about having a transgender brother and how that basically made her completely understand London's perspective. I think that there are similarities but for some reason it came off as Dahlia deserving to get a pass. The sex scenes were steamy and definitely appealing for readers that are looking for that and I am so happy that there is representation of sex between non-binary and a cis person. I would recommend this book to people that are looking for a non-binary romance.