If I knew that romance novels could be just as cozy as cozy mysteries, I would have picked this one up a lot sooner! This story involves a nonbinary POV character dating a girl (also POV) at a cooking competition! Their romance is hot and heady and there are some sex scenes, which I wasn’t expecting at all but was very pleased by (they’re all good!). Something that I didn’t like about this book is that I was really worried about the cooking competition and the main characters kind of ignored that for a while, and then it was suddenly a problem! Also there is a transphobic character which was :/ but the book dealt with it really well. 5 stars!

Food competition romances are all the rage right now, but it is difficult to find a book that does justice to the completion plot and delivers a satisfying romance… but this one does just that!

This story was delicious from its’s slow burn start where we are introduced to Dahalia Woodson, whom is at the Chef’s Special completion to kickstart her new life. Recently divorced and out of. Job due to the show, Dahalia wants to find who she is or wants to be now in this new stage of her life.

Soon London Parker hits the page and just like Dahlia, we are in immediately intrigued by the quiet charisma exuded by London. London is not with out their struggles, they have come onto the show to showcase their “new” self as well and takes this opportunity to introduce their pronouns (they/them) to the world and be the first non-binary contestant on the show.

Dahlia and London soon bond through the competition and by spending their downtime together, but neither wants to move beyond friendship because of the completion and their own baggage and fears… but the heart wants what it wants and these two are electric together… until they are not!

I loved this story. The romance bloomed slowly, but the personal development of the characters and the subplot of the competition and its ensuing drama made the wait for romance negligible. London’s representation as a non-binary character was excellent. Their struggle and their needs were clearly displayed for the reader, making them very real. I loved that both character had big issues they were dealing with and they were very different from the other. This pairing was a delight to see come together!

Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly is scheduled to release January 18th, 2022.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Grand Central Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#LoveOtherDisasters #AnitaKelly #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

! I absolutely adore, love, cherish this queer romance and hope all of you read it too! Here are my top ten reasons I loved this book:

1. Love & Other Disasters takes place in the fascinating world of reality television on a cooking competition called “Chef’s Special.”
2. Not only do you get an interesting world of the Chef’s Special, but this book also gives you a taste of LA and the Pacific Coast Highway.
3. Dahlia and London are complex, messy, and authentic characters who make you want to cheer for them as individuals and their beautiful, messy relationship.
4. This book captures new relationship energy so well showing how encompassing the infatuation and passion can be and how fragile the new relationship is in the first couple of weeks.
5. The way the author wrote about food made me super hungry for delicious food. From key lime pies to black bean soup, passion fruit coulees to souffles, I wanted to try all these dishes.
6. The supporting characters – Barb, Hank, Julie, Janet, all the contestants and family members help build a realistic world for London and Dahlia. I love that we see both London and Dahlia grow in their relationships with these characters.
7. Complicated relationships with parents that shows how flawed they can be and that they are also capable of growth!
8. So many queer feels. I was crying for the last 30%. The growth that both characters go through is necessary but so painful to read, especially since aspects mimic my queer journey. I related so much to Dahlia finding herself in LA and liking this “LA Dahlia,” so much. I often feel like a “New Lyzz” after coming out and finally able to be myself and while that has been my own personal development it has also been because of the people who love me.
9. Representation – this is the first queer romance I have read with a non-binary lead and also a non-binary supporting character! As someone who loves someone who is non-binary, it was so affirming to see something that mirrors my life (albeit no reality television). I also appreciated that one of the characters opts not to have children which is also not frequently represented in books.
10. The hottest steam I have read in a romance book! Nectarines. IYKYK.

Verdict: I am obsessed with this book. I am thrilled to hear that this author is writing two more books in this world so we will get to catch up with London and Dahlia next year! This is my favorite book of the year and one of my favorite romances of all time.

ARC was provided to me by Forever, in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy lovingly described food, excellent grumpy/sunshine chemistry, and/or comfort food brussel sprouts, then Love & Other Disasters is for you! It's obvious throughout this book that Anita Kelly loves these characters. London and Dahlia are so adoringly written while also being messy, emotionally complex people. While London does face transphobic comments and misgendering throughout, they aren't constantly tortured by that trauma. Kelly allows the unfair reality to show through while still keeping her characters protected by their loved ones.

I'm so excited to see what else Anita Kelly puts out.

i think my biggest issue with this book was the romance and the chemistry between london and dahlia. like, i feel like so much of the start of the book was just them, mainly london, thinking about dahlia and this cycle of both of them thinking about each other. and i feel like in my romance books, i just need to be communication and just to have them know things and learn more about the other person in the relationship. like, for one, by the time they wanted to / did jump into bed together, they couldn't tell each other what their middle names were or their childhood pet, which i realized is something i need if it isn't some quick hookup.

but, i also think that the romance just didn't feel right? like, i think it might have been because they were competing against each other, so they kind of have that going on or that they both want the same prize in the end. and i think part of the issues was that they both could go home at any time and anything could happen. but, i just feel like it just didn't work. like i think the things that are super important in a relationship were just suddenly missing and it didn't make for a good book, since london and dahlia just didn't work.

with the romance, i feel like that there was so much emotional things happening in this book. like, i think that both london and dahlia both have so much emotional trauma, with london coming out and then dahlia leaving everything she had and going on this show after her divorce, that i feel like that emotionally, that they both weren't in the relationship 100%. like, they both had so much going on in their personal life, that i feel like the relationship just struggled to stay afloat and that they both fully couldn't commit to the other person, which was just so shitty

but, with all the emotions, i feel like it really took the shine away from london and dahlia. like, i'm all for emotional parts in romance books, but i think that there is a fine line between emotions we need and want, and then emotions that take away from the plot of the book / the romance, where i feel like this book was the second one. like i already said, they put so much emotional depth in this book, but than when the romance started to get a bigger role, the emotional parts slowly started to take over the book and the main plot.

kind of with that, i did like reading about the different issues that london and dahlia went through in this book. like, i did like reading it, but i think that it should have been toned down a little bit, just since at points, it should have just been a romance. but, i also think they would bring so many things up, like issues and emotional parts that they went through. like, i feel like that for the most part, it never even really got resolved, it was just here for the drama. like, i feel like they should have had so much more growth and to show their growth, but instead they just did this drama sake and to push the romance aside for drama plot points.

but, i feel like also that in the start of the book they tried to do this hate to love and forced proximity plot / trope for this book. which, in the long run, i wouldn't hate seeing the hate to love, since i think that would be so cool to see play out on a show where they were competing and maybe they would even partner them up together for a couple challenges or something. but, the hate to love was literally like five pages, and dahlia was just being a bitch to them about not wanting to talk about her peeing her pants in like 5th grade.

another thing i didn't really like was the all the sexual comments london made towards dahlia, in their mind. like, i think that there is a fine line between finding someone attractive and thinking about them, or being way to sexual. like, i think london was to sexual towards her, like i feel that they would bring everything up that she would do, and make it to be this sexual act. like she could be walking and it would be sexual or like cooking and somehow they would get to thinking about bending her over the counter top, etc. and like i'm fine with sexual thoughts, but i think that at this point, dahlia wasn't even showing the same feelings for them, so it just got to be kind of icky.

kinda going back to the emotion parts, but i feel like that the emotions in this book were out of wack. like, i they really went from 0 to 100 in a matter of minutes, like they were never a little sad, it was like full bodied sobbing. like, it just got to be a lot with how it all happened, and that i think that they really need to cool down with these emotions, since it did get to be a lot after a while. and i feel like it also made a sex scenes not good, since they were like super super horny, so they never had any of those sweet and intimate moments, since they were so horny.
but, with the sex scenes, i did like it to a degree. like i did like that were written in a way that it wasn't toxic or rude to london and them being non-binary, and i think that it was honestly done quite well with that regard. but, i feel like that the emotions get away from anything happened, and that i do wish they had those cute little intimate moments that are in other books just not be pure sex drive. but, they did talk so much during the sex scenes, which got on my nerves after awhile cause like i don't care if you talk, but it got to be a bit much after awhile.

CW: misgendering, enbyphobia, divorce, strained parental relationship

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers, forced proximity queer romance. Foodie romances are always fun and the backdrop of Chef's Special was perfect. I really loved the character arc of both Dahlia and London and I was rooting for them both from the start. The love story that developed between them was so tender while also being very, very spicy. It was beautiful to see them both discover each other, layer by layer. There was some late drama that I could have done without, but I think it was ultimately necessary for both London and Dahlia's journeys.

I loved how Anita Kelly showcased queer love. I think London is the first non-binary love interest I've read about, so I really appreciated the discussions about coming out and non-binary representation. I both listened and read this one and Lindsey Dorcus gave such a fantastic performance. I loved all the emotion and care that went into the performance. I look forward to listening to more of their narrations in the future.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily listened and read an advance review copy of this book*

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly is a charming romance about two contestants on a competitive cooking show. The story follows Dahlia, a free-spirited, recently divorced woman from Maryland; and London, who is reserved, gender nonbinary, and from Nashville. They are very different, but a love of food has brought them to the show. The tone is lighthearted and some scenes truly had me laughing out loud. I loved how charming Dahlia and London were and their growing connection. Lindsey Dorcus wonderfully narrates the audiobook. I really enjoyed her intonation and delivery.

Thank you Forever/Hachette Audio for providing this ebook/audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Love & Other Disasters was my first Anita Kelly, but certainly not my last. Kelly drops us right into the scene of this cooking competition show, which I appreciated because getting right to the promise of the premise delights me. We get this fantastic meet-disaster situation where Dahlia runs right into London and immediately starts word vomiting in a way that thankfully London and I both agreed was absolutely adorable. Of course, London is not got at conveying that they are immediately charmed by this woman with all of her gorgeous hair, but fortunately, we don't linger for too long in this dislike of one another space.

What I loved about this book is that Dahlia's messiness in the way that she's moving through her divorce and realization that she doesn't have the life that she wants felt so realistic and relatable. I think people who don't like books where people in their late 20s or early 30s don't have it all figured out may find this book frustrating, but for anyone who finds that incredibly relatable, here's your siren call. It's also fantastic that the physical copy of this book has a little image of an onion with the chapter headings because toward the end you may have thought I was chopping onions the way I was tearing up. This book tugged on my heartstrings in all of the best ways!

It was also incredibly wonderful to read a book with a nonbinary romantic interest lead. London has really taken an incredibly brave step, choosing to be out on this show, but I like that we also get to see the bravery required to trust Dahlia not to hurt them. There are different levels of trust and of living one's truth and, although it's not an experience I really have, I thought Kelly portrayed this evolving levels of trust and vulnerability so well. This is not to say that everything is 100% hunky dory and everyone involved in the show is perfect and gracious and accepting, because there is a person on the show who is less than kind about it. Not to mention the fact that not all the individual's in London's family are good about it. But I think overall, the book stays on the lighter end, though it is balanced out with angst enough that it caused the tears. Maybe I just can't review books today. It's hard to say.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend!

Having had three stella experiences with their books, I have decided that I would like to permanently live inside Anita Kelly’s books and their brain. What an incredibly talented author they are and I would like to personally send chocolates to every person who led them to a career in publishing. I know, I know – I sound like a dramatic seal, but I tell you, I am simply obsessed.

Love & Other Disasters, Anita’s first full-length novel and traditionally published debut, tells the story of Dahlia and London, two homecooks who meet on the set of a cooking competition, Chef’s Special. When I say that I went absolutely feral over London and Dahlia, I’m not exaggerating. I was having a full-on meltdown at how soft and tender they were together and my dramatic self even made a meme to summarize my feelings for these two.

Anyways, London and Dahlia! Gahhh! I have nothing but gushy words for these two. Dahlia recently separated from her husband and is on the verge of bankruptcy. She sees the show as an opportunity to make a name for herself. She goes into the competition determined to make it to the end but she does not anticipate finding love along the way. Dahlia is the sunshine character in this grumpy-sunshine pairing and I adored her. Anita brings a vibrancy to her character and it shows in every aspect of her personality. Dahlia is all happy rainbows and awkward energy! She has such a good heart and is constantly trying to make others happy. Underneath that bubbly exterior is also a woman who is feeling vulnerable about the outlook of her future and her dreams. Dahlia’s journey will Many readers will relate to her journey here in Love & Other Disasters.

Anita provides the perfect balance for Dahlia in the form of the grumpy nugget that is London. London is the first non-binary contest on Chef’s Special. While they are hyper-focused on winning the show, they are also feeling a little nervous about the prospect of being in the public eye as the first non-binary contest of the show. I loved how London could be seen as stoic next to Dahlia because they were very quiet compared to her, but they could also be equally funny and joyful. They just need to be in proximity to people they care about. Lucky for Dahlia, she is the person they choose to open up to.

I love it so much when in a grumpy-sunshine romance the grumpy one who laughs and smiles around the sunshine one and London DELIVERED on that front. They were absolutely enamored by Dahlia and it was SO PRECIOUS and had me SQUEALING. Like my bestie, Ari says, London is A BIG SIMP and we loved them for it! The romance is lovely, tender, and a straight shot to the heart. The two form this unbreakable bond behind the scenes of the show and it was so soft. Anita Kelly has this ability to make me visualize most scenes in her book which is a feat given how blobby my brain is. There’s this one scene in particular where they are at the beach having opened up to each other that is ENGRAVED in my mind because it was a beautiful movie-worthy couple-y moment. Their love story isn’t easy and they do face an obstacle or two, but I knew they would make it to the end. Also, the steamy scenes!! They were a steamy work of art!

The backdrop of the cooking contest was done as well as the romance. Chef’s Special reminded me of a better version of MasterChef USA. I loved all the little behind-the-scene moments, seeing the competitiveness between the contestants, and watching London and Dahlia navigate their respective challenges.

Last thing I want to mention is that all the family moments in this book made my chest ache. For the most part, London has a very supportive family, but their father keeps misgendering them. It causes them a lot of heartache and this does eventually lead to a confrontation between the two. I was so angry on London’s behalf but incredibly proud of them for voicing out their desires from their relationship with their father.

I know it’s only January but Love & Other Disasters is already a 2022 favorite. It truly was the fluffy queer grumpy-sunshine goodness that my soul needed. Anita Kelly, I AM YOUR NO. 1 FAN!! <3

A delight of a book! I had so much fun reading this and watching the queer love story unfold (and drooling over all the descriptions of food). Dahlia and London were adorable individually and together and truly bring out the best and happiest of each other. Dahlia was a delightfully bubbly person and seeing London be unapologetically themself was wonderful, as was the way these two were so soft (but also willing to fight) for each other! The competition was also very interesting to read about since I don't know anything about how behind the scenes on cooking shows works. It was so sweet to see contestants (especially but not just London and Dahlia) cooperate and help each other. Barbara was great with the grandmotherly care and wisdom. Things didn't unfold in exactly the way I was originally hoping but the progression of events made sense and worked well for the story and characters! The ending was satisfying and felt well earned and I know readers will adore this book! (Oh, and the parallel between the very beginning and end of the book? Chef's kiss, pun not intended.)

CW: transphobia

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

I really enjoyed this book! It’s an NB/F romance and is set on a cooking competition TV show (I’m sure it’s probably based on an actual one, but I’ve only ever watched Hell’s Kitchen and it wasn’t that). The two MCs are London and Dahlia and I just really liked them both, pretty much right from the start.
I haven’t read many romances with NB characters, I think maybe only one other (The Love Study by Kris Ripper)? I’ve been trying to read more diversely within queer romance, so I was really happy to find this one!
Something I really liked was how Dahlia’s queerness was written. She is recently divorced from a man, and even though she’s only ever been with her ex, she still knows she’s queer and London just accepts it when she explains it. Just because she’d only been in a hetero relationship before, it didn’t take anything away from her queerness.
There was quite a bit of transphobia throughout the book, which felt icky, but also very true to life. On the TV show London comes out as NB to all the contestants as well as on the show, but then there is the one contestant who is a transphobe, because of course there is. The show ends up using this as a whole story arc, and I’m not sure that they exactly get called out on it, but Dahlia definitely gets really upset about it.
Overall I really loved London and Dahlia together, they are the sweetest. I liked the whole premise of the book, I think everything was done really well.
Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story! From the scenic imagery of Los Angeles’ landscape to the depiction of the simultaneously intense and tedious experience of participating on a cooking show to the complex dynamics the main characters had with their families, this book reeled me in from beginning to end. I found the contrast between the personalities of the main character and love interest to be just the right balance of grumpy/sunshine, and the banter between the two were equal parts charming and hilarious. I loved that the love interest in this queer romance is nonbinary; Although I cannot speak for the accuracy of the nonbinary rep in this novel, the stories and struggles of nonbinary people are massively underrepresented in modern media so it was beautiful to get to read about London’s growth through their identity. I also loved how Anita Kelly chose to depict the relationship London has with their father; finding out that the love someone has for you can be conditional despite you being their flesh and bone was such a heartbreaking concept that I’ve never seen so succinctly executed in a book before. I also love it when romance novels feature an epilogue with domestic fluff, which this book beautifully delivered on. Overall, a very sweet romance to start off my 2022!

I absolutely loved everything about this book!!! I enjoy books about cooking so the setting of this one had be interested right away. I also learned a lot about a non-binary person’s experience through this book. I really want to read more books with non-binary characters because I enjoyed the fresh POV. I highly recommend this one!!

I cannot explain how much I loved this book! I kept smiling and laughing the entire time I was reading it. This is such a romantic and somewhat spicy read. The representation in this book was important and handled with care. The relationship between Dahlia and London was a joy to read and watch grow into something beautiful. After reading this, I want way more books with cooking competitions in them! My mouth was watering at some of the recipe details. I read this in two days and that is only because I needed to sleep the first night. I will definitely be reading more from Anita Kelly!

*Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC*

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the review copy.

This is the first book that I have read with a main character who is non-binary. This is also my first time really exploring the non-binary community. That said this book gave enough background as to what it means to be non-binary that my basic questions were answered, so if you are not well versed in the language to use don't worry.

I found both London and Dahlia to be well-rounded and interesting characters in their own rights. But the romance did not work for me, there was something missing once the two got together. I loved the banter pre-romantic exploration but after it became too sappy and cheesy.

I would like to read from this author again.

wow, what a sexy read! gosh I need someone to cook for me! this book made me hungry and lonely! Anita Kelly killed it!

A rom-com with a cooking show competition setting? Yes please. Love & Other disasters is a fun fast-paced story. This is the first book I have read with a non-binary character. The fact that they are a main character in such a great romantic lead is delightful. Our Main Characters London and Dahlia meet on the set of “Chef’s Special” a cooking competition for amateur chefs. London is a non-binary pan-sexual. London initially finds fellow contestant Dahlia with her upbeat attitude annoying. Dahlia is a bi-sexual female and she finds the grumpy London interesting. As the two spend more time together on the set and off, their relationship develops. London’s back story covers their path to finding the place where they are accepting and comfortable with themselves and is handled well. It includes their relationship with different members of their family as well. The story also includes some great side characters like London’s twin sister.

I really enjoyed this queer romance. The chemistry and steam made this sweet story perfectly balanced for me.

Thank you @readforeverpub for the arc.

I love a good cooking show and a good romance and if you like both these things, you might like Love & Other Disasters, too! Taking place over the course of filming a reality cooking completion show, this book tells the story of how Dahlia and London, two of the show’s competitions, fall for each other. What really makes this book special beyond the fun setting is London, the show's first non-binary competitor (and the first non-binary character I've read in a romance). I particularly enjoyed London's POV - I felt like the book did a great job setting forth some of the struggles London had, especially getting people to use their pronouns. And given that this is a romance, London really brought the heat in their POV - their pining and attraction to Dahlia was definitely fun to read. I'm sort of particular when it comes to the conflict in romances I read and while that aspect of the book didn't totally work for me I overall enjoyed reading this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!⁣
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Love & Other Disasters is out on Tuesday, January 18th!! Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am so happy to have read my first romance with a non-binary MC. The representation here is much needed and so well done. I feel like this book started really strong for me, lost some steam in the middle, but then picked back up in the end. There were some pacing and flow issues but overall I really enjoyed this and think it needs to be read far and wide.

As a nonbinary person, it is FANTASTIC to finally get some nonbinary rep. Usually, if there's any nonbinary rep at all, they are a supporting character... but to get a nonbinary love interest with their own POV... incredible.

Plus - a female/nonbinary romance centered around a cooking competition ?????? ooof I was quick to sign up.

Tender and steamy and just the right pace.

This book put Anita Kelly on the map for me and I am so glad that it did.