If you love cooking shows and are a rom com fan then this book is perfect for you! Anita Kelly's writing is truly beautiful and full of emotion. This book is a perfect example of queer joy and love. I absolutely fell head-over-heels in love with London and Dhalia's romance. These two characters have my whole heart and I cannot wait to read more from Kelly soon!

This was a fun read. I always love romance stories with really good individual conflicts. It was really cute how they almost always temporarily forget about the things they're grappling with when they get close to each other.

Dahlia seemed like a super nice person so it wasn’t really hard to see why London was attracted to her. This was definitely a time for both of them to feel safe about expressing many insecurities. I wasn’t super convinced of what they felt for each other, but some chemistry was definitely evident. I was satisfied with the ending. I was especially happy with London’s growth and how they were such an inspiration for many like them.

Great read!

This one just wasn't for me. I really wanted to enjoy it, but I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to. I didn't really care what happened to the characters.

*Thank you @readforeverpub for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. What can I say, apparently queer characters falling in love while competing on a reality tv show (Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble, Never Ever Getting Back Together and now Love & Other Disasters) is now part of my wheelhouse! This was steamy, the romance made complete sense, the issues weren't forced, and the resolution was a wonderful HEA. Just a sweet hug of a book with bonus cooking scenes!

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I have been reading this book for over a year. I started it with the intention of finishing it--I'm currenty at just over the 50% mark but am struggling to continue and am even finding myself not wanting to continue. I'll be taking a break from it and may return to it in the future.

I thought that I was going to like reading about a romance set during a cooking competition, but this is the second one that I've read/tried to read and it is the second one that I have struggled with.

I am not quite comfortable giving it a star rating less than 3 because it's not fair for me having not finished it.

The characters were underdeveloped. There were several times when I was listening I couldn't tell who was saying one. They weren't completely flat but they just weren't fleshed out enough. And ironically I thought that the book was too long. I could have used some more editing, overall the pace was so slow. I guess I'm realizing that I need higher stakes/more angst/ more drama, just more. I enjoyed the representation, I have never read a nb love story before, but I just had higher hopes.

Why did it take me so long to read this one!! What did I love:
- baking competition setting
- non-binary/LGBTQ+ representation
- complicated family issues

Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for ARC for this one.

3.5 stars rounded down

What I liked:
-Cooking show setting
- Representation of non-binary MC

What missed:
-Side characters felt like an afterthought
-Seemed to drag and felt too long

This would be a cute, light read for anyone who wants to see more LGBTQ+ rep in books, but overall I think it just fell a bit shy of the mark for me.

Dahlia and London are such a great couple. And it was maybe the first romance I had read with a non-binary main character which I hope I see more of. Thank you @readforeverpub for the early copy!
Love & Other Disasters is set on a cooking competition kind of like Master Chef. Dahlia is recently divorced and learned how to cook to help her through that journey. London is non-binary and being out on the show leads to some transphobic hate. But they find each other and there is instant chemistry that comes off the page so well. I adored reading this one and hope others find it too!

I really love this romance. It is well written and enjoyable. It is a great addition to LGBTQ+ romance in our collection.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

Apologies for the late review, but I have made this book my entire personality and I will psu everyone to read it oh my god! This is the kind of representation we need because this was one of the realest romances, especially queer romances, I think I have ever read. I haven't read a lot of books that handle the cooking subplot as well as I'd like but Anita Kelly really nailed that as well. I admit, it did feel a little slow at first but Kelly's writing style is very easy to get into so I finished pretty quickly regardless. Thank you Netgalley for a eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book.

I really loved the concept of the story, but for some reason I couldn't get into the writing. I do think that a lot of people might enjoy this read.

Two disaster queers on a cooking show vying for the top spot? Sign me up. Dahlia Woodson is feeling a bit lost - after a divorce and quitting her job, her appearance on Chef's Special is her way of hopefully righting her ship. London Parker, the first openly non-binary contestant on Chef's Special is also feeling lost. After rejection from their father after coming out, London also hopes to find a little balance with their appearance on the show. Over the filming of the competition, the two connect in a way neither of them expected, and both Dahlia and London are soon confronted with choices they never thought they'd have to make. The chemistry in this one was top notch and the pages practically simmer. Also - all the food descriptions made me hungry, so have some snacks nearby when you're reading this one.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC and advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was fun! I really loved the cooking show aspect—it brought me back to my days of exclusively watching Food Network. The romance was cute and I really appreciated the queer and nonbinary representation. However, I did feel like it dragged at points, so this took much longer for me to finish than usual. Regardless, this was still a great, lighthearted romance!

This was a wonderful love story between two queer constestants on a cooking show. I loved the representation and the story was filled with such heart and real emotions. Couldn't put it down!

This book took me so long to finish because I didn't want it to end and I think this is my favorite book of 2022. I loved the characters (and representation) and several times their interactions reminded me of myself and my partner. The added cooking competition and stakes throughout the book just made me love it even more.

I read this one not long after The Holiday Swap and am such a fan of the TV show trope and anything to do with food! This book was super cute and even provided a few laugh out loud moments! If you're looking to cozy up with a cute book this fall/winter then grab this one.

"When you were around someone who felt everything, it made you feel like you could feel everything, too. Like the depths of the world were suddenly limitless." This quote... just is imprinted on my brain. I think that this book has the power to make so many different kinds of people feel understood and for that reason alone I do not think that it is ratable... in the sense that it is beyond just good or bad but rather a book of our times. The representation in this book honestly makes me want to cry. It is such a beautiful thing when books have the power to validate human experiences no matter how varied and this in my opinion is one of those books.